The Untitled Project
by The Honorable Arik Novak
Summary: Hikaru has no interest in Go since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai, a Go pro in the modern age, searches only for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student? What troubles tear them apart? And how will Ogata Seiji survive, mediating between these most immature Go players?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a normal afternoon at the park. Children were kicking a ball around just before the horizon, joggers treading down the familiar gravel paths, and dogs relaxing under the shade of the trees to hide from the cruel May heat. It certainly was not supposed to be this hot, one man thought to himself as he handled some black stones and translucent white shells. He placed one stone and stared at the puzzling shape on the board.

He tore himself away from the game to lean back and stretch. He had been there all day, forsaking all responsibility to enjoy the festivities. Of course, he did not actually join them. From a distance, he watched them eat their mochi rice cakes and marvel at the koi swimming in the wind. His history lessons reverberated in his mind, whispering tales about Heian samurai and boys riding bears. The man went back to his stones, unhappily noting that though the slate stones were still cool, the wooden bowls holding them had heated up more than he liked. He wondered if he woul d have to resort to using the Institute for study-the heat was quite annoying. "Today ought to be the start of the summer season," he lamented aloud to himself.

"You're tellin' me."

He whipped his head up to find who had spoken, but the only person around was a young man, perhaps just a teenager, speedily making his way down the pathway. It was a forgettable encounter, but one that had bearing for both of them.

* * *

"Goddammit, what is this? Tell me, Hikaru!" the man waved the flimsy white paper around.

"I-I'm sorry!" The boy pleaded with the grown man, "I tried, I really did—" as a hard backhand made contact with his face. The teenager found himself hunched over, leaning heavily against a wall and nursing a stinging cheek.

He remembered a time when he had tried to fight back. This actually wasn't as bad. No, it wasn't so bad at all. At least that was what he thought until he was lifted off his feet and slammed against the wall. Something was digging into his back, but that was the least of his worries.

"Do you think I spend my time working a job I hate so you can laze around and get bad grades! I expect you to get an A on your next test, or so help me God…" and that's where he always ended, usually as Hikaru crumpled to the floor.

Hikaru could remember a few select times when his father had gone beyond the occasional slap or cigarette burn. Usually he had to have done something really bad, like when he embarrassed his father at his boss's birthday party. He had to take a few 'sick days' from school to recover from that particular punishment.

He unsteadily picked himself up, wary of the incensed man before him. He muttered apologies, hoping he could get away with a mere slap. Hikaru supposed his father must have been in a better mood that day. He wasn't drunk and he wasn't too violent. And he only shouted for a few minutes. Over all, things could have been worse.

He stumbled up the stairs and into bed without changing his clothes. Lying on his side in the darkness and the silence, Hikaru couldn't help but hope. 'For what?' he thought to himself bitterly. Was there anything more?

* * *

He needed a tutor. But a cheap tutor. Not Akari. Hikaru couldn't let her know how stupid he'd become since their days at Haze. Since cram schools cost money, he would prefer a fellow student who needed service hours for something . Hikaru searched for such a thing at his own school, but found nothing. Kuro High School was as ghetto as you could get in Tokyo, so no free tutor programs there. Richer schools always had volunteer tutor programs though it didn't make much sense. If the students were rich, couldn't they afford tutoring? If they weren't rich, they must have gone there on a scholarship, and they surely didn't need tutoring.

Hikaru was worried; he had skipped soccer practice to look for a tutor of some sort, really anything to help him avoid another altercation with his father. The residual tenderness in his back and cheek were testaments to his father's anger, and he was starting to lose hope in favor of brooding on his misfortune.

There really was nothing. Hikaru almost scoffed at his own idiocy. Of course there wouldn't be a single reprieve for someone like him!

He found himself in the park after his failed search. Soon, it would be time to head home. He couldn't possibly leave his mom to face that man alone. If he came home drunk, he never differentiated between his wife and 'the accident.' That's what Hikaru was, alright. He was the one who ruined his father's life, who drove away his fiancée and forced him to marry a girl barely out of high school. Hikaru had always been the problem.

And he would always be the problem, wouldn't he? He remembered that dusty day in December, the day things started changing for the worse. He remembered the crash, the shock, the guilt...

The sun would be setting soon. The warm, orange light taunted him, assuring him that there would be hope for the next day. He laughed to himself. Empty hopes, always empty, useless hopes. Now he could see how the dying sun cast ghostly shadows against the grass.

Walking the gravelly path home, he lowered his head, letting his bangs protect his eyes from the waning sunlight. Soon, too soon, he would be at his house. He longed to prolong his journey, if only for a little while. So his steps slowed but continued, and he was able to watch a solitary board game being set up a meter or so away. It seemed a bit like checkers, except that the markers were on the lines rather than between them. Hikaru remembered. Go. Grandpa used to play Go. If Hikaru remembered correctly, his grandfather had been quite a talented amateur. That was why he'd had the board in his attic. He shook his head to rid himself of the memories.

Then he realized it was the same man from the day before who had been complaining about the heat. So he paused in his steps and started making his way toward the table with the Go board. "What'cha doing, mister?" he asked with all the curiosity of a child. It had been such a long time since he'd had the chance to act like a kid. He probably should've been embarrassed; after all he was in high school now, wasn't he?

The man looked up. He seemed to be in his mid-twenties and had long black hair that glistened purple in the sun. He smiled kindly and waved an elegant hand over the Go board. "Playing Go." Hikaru almost rolled his eyes. "I can see that," he said instead. It was still rude, but not as rude as his gesture would have been. Hikaru didn't get why the man was playing alone again. Didn't he have any friends? Why play a game alone in a park?

The man creased his eyebrows in consternation and glanced at the boy. "Do you know how to play Go? Try placing this black stone."

Hikaru shook his head to answer the man's question but directed his eyes toward the markers anyway, which, up close, turned out to be stones. They didn't make much sense to him; just a jumble of black and white. He tried to analyze it, though. His inexperience was bleeding through his facial expression and the way he held the stone between his forefinger and his thumb. He knew the basics: capture stones and keep territory. He was so engrossed in trying to understand the meaning of the stones that he neither noticed the man's widening eyes nor heard the rollerblades coming.

"Watch out!" both the man and another voice shouted.

Hikaru only had time to turn his torso around before his back rammed into the table as the skater slammed into him. "Sorry!" the skater said, gathering his lanky limbs, and clumsily fled the scene before anyone could call him back. The strange man had managed to come out of the accident looking absolutely unscathed.

"Ow," Hikaru moaned. He still had the bruises from his father, and they hurt even more now.

The young man looked concerned about Hikaru. "Are you okay? Lift up your shirt, you might've been hurt—"

"No! I'm okay!" Hikaru said, hoping he didn't sound hysterical. What his father would do if anyone suspected...! Hikaru looked around and saw that the man's stones had been scattered around the board and the grass. He didn't look too interested in picking up the game pieces though—he was far too interested in Hikaru's reaction. Hikaru bent over the grass finding all of the black ones first since they would be harder to find as the sun continued to set. His back ached, but he could do little about it other than get home in time. Crap.

Hikaru hurried and was relieved to find the man picking up the pieces and dropping them onto the Go board. He really needed to go…so he quickly repositioned the stones where they had been, hoping he hadn't messed anything up. It looked identical to the game he had been observing earlier and was pretty satisfied. He still held the extra black stone, the one that the man had asked him to place.

Glancing at the board again, Hikaru decided that the group in the upper left was being threatened by the white stones. With nary a thought, he placed the stone on a crosshair that he knew wouldn't immediately capture stones. In fact, it would endanger the stone he just put down. But somehow, he didn't know how, but somehow, he knew white would take it and then black would threaten the white and white would have no choice but to block and black would continue to threaten the white that had taken the initial stone and white would have to save a different group because the there was no way to salvage them and black would eagerly take six stones-and Hikaru was a little afraid of how quickly his mind was working.

As soon as he had put down the black stone, he fled, much like the rollerblader. Only this time, he was fleeing to save his life.

Fat lot of good it did.

"You're late."

Hikaru flinched at the deep voice. "I was…that is, soccer practice ran late."

"Really?" his father asked, sounding generally interested now. That never boded well.

"Er, yeah. We had to do a few extra drills because we have a game coming up…"

"Even though it's not tournament season?" his father seemed to be circling him now, much like a shark and its prey.

Hikaru gulped. "Well, it's just a scrimmage against another tea—"

"Don't lie to me!" Hikaru was bent over his stomach in seconds, trying to defend his organs against the violent onslaught. "Your coach called to say you didn't show up! So, what have you been doing while you should have been at practice, hm? You're the one who wanted to play soccer. You're the one who decided soccer took precedence over your grades. And here you are, skipping? Feed me an excuse, Hikaru! Give me one damn good excuse!" A few more punches straight to the stomach as he tried to curl up to protect himself.

Hikaru felt concerned when his throat grew tight with bile or something. He was going to throw up…but he couldn't, not in the kitchen. His father would skin him if he dirtied the kitchen. "I-I was l-looking for a t-tutor!" he struggled to say. His mouth felt thick and coppery, and he couldn't help but cough into his hand. Was that blood? No, he was just imagining it. He rarely coughed up blood during a punishment.

"Why would my son need a tutor? If he feels the need to spend money on a tutor, why doesn't he get a job? Or why doesn't he quit soccer so he can actually study!" another kick, and he was down.

His vision was blurring, just a bit. That wasn't too unusual. The blood, however, worried him. And the ringing in his ears. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He never noticed when he father left the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he continued to mutter to himself. He never noticed when his mother snuck into the kitchen and cleaned her son's face. He never noticed when the woman left as soon as she heard footsteps. "S-Sorry…" And he never noticed when the two started eating dinner without a second glance for their son.

* * *

His face was always untouched. Always. Mostly. Except for the slapping, which didn't leave obvious marks anyway. He was never punched, kicked, cut, or burned on his face, and Hikaru supposed he should be a little thankful. He would never be able to keep his secret if his face looked as bad as the rest of his body usually did.

His breaths were labored, he could tell, and his chest felt tender. He could walk, but he was bent over; the weird walking position stretched his back but made his stomach feel better. He had to compromise. Sitting, at least, was fine. When he had been a kid, his father only used his hand and the belt. The hand was fine, but the belt made it impossible to sit the next day, and Hikaru always tried to disrupt the class only so the teacher would make him stand out in the hallway holding buckets of water. These days, it was a relief to sit. Such a relief…much better than the cold hard floor of the kitchen.

"Psst, Shindou!"

"Yo, Shindou, wake up!" A student behind him poked him with a pencil.

He tried not to wince. "I'm awake!"

"Shindo, go stand in the hallway. Take these with you."

But of course these days, standing straight holding a bucketful of water in each hand hurt a lot more than sitting. How was he supposed to get an A on a test if he was stuck in the hallway most of the time? Hikaru sighed and started to feel his arm muscles weakening from the weight of the buckets.

The rest of the schoolday passed uneventfully. He spoke with a few classmates, and gave an excuse to his soccer teammates, adding in that the coach most certainly did not have to call his father. He couldn't play soccer, not when he was so out of breath and he still felt a little dizzy sometimes. He wondered how bad it was since he had been bleeding.

He checked his fingernails, and sure enough, they were tinted blue. "Cyanosis," he muttered to himself a little proudly. He had long ago looked up the symptoms and had come to recognize them. Yep, that meant he had a pulmonary contusion, just bruised lungs. From experience, they would be better in three or five days as long as he didn't aggravate his injuries—which meant no soccer. He wasn't so sure about his father though; the man didn't usually become violent two days in a row. Hikaru supposed that was his own fault since he came home late the night before.

He knew there were no free tutoring places around, so he spent the rest of the time that he should have spent in soccer at the park. He was wary this time around, looking around occasionally to make sure no rogue rollerblades were coming his way. That man was back at the table with the Go board before him. He looked as engrossed in the stones as always. It seemed like the same game, except that white had responded. In fact, white had responded exactly where he thought it would have.

Without alerting the man to his presence, Hikaru took a black stone and made the move he had thought of earlier. It threatened the white and only slightly strengthened the black.

"You again," the man said, snapping his head up. "Are you okay? You did not look well yesterday."

Someone cared? It had been such a long time since someone cared. "Yeah, I'm fine. So how would you respond to that?" He didn't like to dwell on his injuries, especially if there was a chance that a stranger would find out about his home life.

The man quirked a smile and expertly picked up a white stone between his middle and fore fingers. With a decided klak, the white stone landed precisely where Hikaru predicted it would have gone. Without missing a beat, he grabbed a stone in his amateur hold and threatened the white stones again.

The man grinned openly and abandoned the white group, aiming instead for some other group in some other area of the board. Gleefully, Hikaru killed the six white stones by blocking them off with a black one, exactly how he predicted it. What he didn't predict was another battle occurring in the section the other man just attacked. From Hikaru's perspective, there wasn't much to save there. He would only end up sacrificing a few stones and gaining little. "Wow, you're really good at this, huh?" Hikaru said in wonder. "You really made a comeback."

"This is a recreation of a game I played. I had been playing black," the man said, "and I did exactly as you did. Except for maybe the last move. White has given those stones up for dead, and taking them when you did merely wasted a turn."

"What?" Hikaru had to ask. How did it waste a turn? He captured the stones, didn't he?

"How long have you been playing?" the man asked curiously. He sounded just like Hikaru did when they first met.

Hikaru had to think. "My grandpa showed me his stones once, but I hadn't seen a Go board till yesterday." Liar...you can't have forgotten about the Go board in the attic.

The man's eyebrows shot up. "This is your first time playing Go?"

Hikaru shrugged. "I guess. I mean, my grandpa just told me you want to capture stones and gain territory. He talked about sharing the board, not overtaking the entire thing. That's pretty much it."

The man chuckled. "You seem to be a natural then. Come, sit, and I'll play a game with you." Hikaru was unsure; the last time he had messed with the Go board, he ended up getting home late.

"Okay, but I have to get home soon."

The man nodded. "By the way, I am Fujiwara Sai. You?"

Hikaru was wary of strangers, but this one seemed kind. Maybe he could take the risk.

* * *

"His name is Shindou Hikaru," Sai told him. They were hovering around the coffee machine while his colleague waited impatiently for a cup of the bitter liquid.

"So? He's probably just another kid," Ogata replied flippantly. "You won't find your greatest student hiding in the park. Just give up. You know very well that Touya Akira will be the head of the next generation."

"But this boy—he solved a 2-dan problem, and he looked really young!" Sai said enthusiastically, clapping his hands in excitement. Times like these, Ogata wished he had gone into a profession that required maturity. "And he recreated a game just from looking at it for a few seconds. We played a game—his first game—and it was very insightful."

Ogata merely "mm'd" and continued to drink his coffee sans sugar.

"I want him to take the Pro test."

Ogata sputtered. "Didn't you say his first game was yesterday? Why the hell would you encourage him to take the Pro test now? At least make him an insei first!"

Sai waved it off. "No, no! He is much too good—he would only discourage the other insei."

"You sound like Toya Meijin," Ogata muttered.

"Do I?" he asked airily, as if his thoughts were already in the clouds. "He has much more natural talent than little Akira, anyway." He said without a thought to where he was or to whom he was speaking.

The blonde man stopped himself from spitting out his coffee, lest he let himself look like a fool. "That- that's quite impossible, Fujiwara. You forget that little Akira is stronger than many professionals, he's even kept up with you. Your little prodigy probably doesn't even know what a Go professional does."

His friend shrugged. "Nevertheless, he shall be a great player. Let it be known that that boy will be at the front of the new wave!"

"Whatever, crazy. Let's go. You have a game in three minutes."

* * *

Sometimes Hikaru liked to hang out with Akari and her friends. They had gone on to Haze High School, unlike Hikaru—he'd gone to the cheapest school which was, surprisingly, not Haze. It was some out of the way school called Kuroshin, affectionately termed the "Black" School by its students. Nobody liked Kuro. It was an all boy's school for kids who weren't able to get into any other high schools. Prospects were low for those who couldn't even survive at Kuro. Hikaru wasn't stupid by any stretch, but he had missed the entrance exam for Haze due to a few suspicious injuries, and other schools were simply too expensive. So it was Kuro for him.

"Hikaru!" Akari cried when he teased her about her ugly new sweater. Really, since when were blue and orange horizontal stripes in fashion? Her friends laughed heartily. They were usually genial toward Hikaru, if not a little snobby at times. Sometimes going to a worse school made him look really bad.

"What colleges are you guys thinking of?" one person asked. Hikaru felt a bit awkward. He never seriously thought he could get into college. College was for people who were smart and could afford to go in the absence of intelligence. Not Hikaru. Sometimes he thought he should've gone straight to a technical school.

Akari brightened at the new topic of conversation. "I'm thinking Tokyo University."

Her friends ooh'ed, "That's pretty ambitious, Akari."

She stuck her tongue out playfully and smiled. "It's a reach school, really. There is a women's college I was thinking about, but I really want to get into Tokyo." Her friends continued talking and laughing about their futures, their ambitions, and eventually they found themselves at the local playground. Hikaru remembered playing there as a child, and seeing the slides and swings only made him long for the old days.

Suddenly, a happy ringtone cut the air and Akari left to take her call. She walked a distance away and flipped her phone open. Meanwhile, her friends continued conversation with Hikaru. He was sitting on a swing with Akari's friends spread around the swing set and slides.

"What about you, Shindo?" a boy asked.

Hikaru felt uncomfortable. Not many people from his high school went on to college anyway. "We're just freshmen, we don't need to worry about that this early. Anyway, I was going to check out a few colleges, but then I was thinking I might just start working as a chef. And then start my own restaurant, eventually. " Hikaru didn't like this alternative either. No matter how much he loved ramen, he didn't want to be elbow-deep in it for the rest of his life. He wanted to travel, see other countries, meet interesting people…

"Sounds just like Shindo!" someone laughed. Hikaru laughed half-heartedly, but was cut short when he felt a blow to the back of his head. Another round of laughs.

"What are you doing here?" A playful voice belied the menace in the aura behind him. Hikaru froze. "Dad?" he whispered. The man roughly grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

Another of Akari's friends laughed. "Aw, Hikaru, got a bed time?" he snickered. Hikaru liked to think that they only made jokes to lighten the situation. After all, they'd seen parents treat their children roughly in manga all the time, and they were always in comic situations.

His father smirked and went along with the other kids. "You know how Hikaru is—never listens! C'mon, boy," he said, pulling Hikaru along. Hikaru winced at the bruise that would form on his wrist. He looked back for a second to see Akari's friends still laughing and joking as if nothing had just happened.

"You have time to go gallivanting around? You should be studying!" his dad shouted once they were far enough away. The man had loosened his grip and was now silently fuming. Hikaru knew he was in a dangerous mood, and kept his eyes down.

"You say you're looking for a tutor? Why get a tutor when you don't even study!"

"No one else is studying," Hikaru muttered.

He felt a ringing sensation as a hand came from nowhere to slap him on the back of the head. "Because they study during the weekday! But what are you doing? You're skipping soccer and lazing around! That's why you couldn't even get into Haze!" His father continued his rant, even as they boarded the train. The man's biting words grew sharper but quieter, whispering threats and insults while everyone else in the world only looked on and nodded in approval at the strict father and his punk son.

"Hikaru, I know you have a test coming up. You better get an A, or so help me…"

Hikaru nodded, even though he knew there was no way he would pass, let alone earn an A on his history exam. Back home, he sat on his bed, trying to cram in information on daimyos and samurai and emperors he didn't care about. He paused though when his book mentioned Go. It was a short blurb off to the side, but it distracted him enough to lead his mind back to that afternoon he spent playing Go with that stranger, Fujiwara Sai.

Go.

The game didn't require any physical exertion, and there were no teammates or coaches or arguments with teammates and coaches. It was only a player and Go. How many stories had he heard from his grandpa about the game? How many epic battles had Shindo Heihachi fought on the board and recounted to Hikaru? So many, he thought, and had he paid attention then? Hikaru thought that he wouldn't be interested in that type of thing, but the more he reread the excerpt and remembered his grandfather's Go, the more he wanted to give Fujiwara-san's art a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: No descriptive abuse scenes here...more important notes at the end of the chapter.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

Hikaru glared at his paper, a bright red '60' written neatly across the top. How did he get a sixty? He remembered studying…and being distracted. But he had started studying for that test almost a week before he took it! How could he get a sixty? Sure, he passed, but passing was never good enough. He trudged on through the park leading to his house. He wondered if he should go home early and not risk his father's wrath for being late, or linger in the park and prolong the inevitable confrontation with the man.

"Hikaru!" a voice shouted. He didn't have many friends at school, and if he did, he doubted any one of them would sound like a grown man. Hikaru turned to see Fujiwara-san preparing a Go board. How long had it been? A week? Hikaru smiled and made his way over to the strange man, all the while worrying about what he'd do with his grades.

"Hikaru," the man started without any honorifics, "Would you like to play a game? I will teach you a bit more!"

Honestly, Hikaru just wanted to sleep, eat ramen...not sit and play a board game in the park. He reevaluated his priorities as he glanced at Fujiwara-san who seemed so expectant and excited. But if he was late coming home without a valid excuse…but Fujiwara-san was smiling at him with those hopeful bright eyes! "Fujiwara-san," Hikaru began sadly, "I really have to go home. I kind of failed my history test, and I have to go face my father's wrath."

The excitement melted away, and Fujiwara-san looked at him with concerned eyes, a reaction unlike any Hikaru had ever gotten. "Will your father be very angry?" the man asked, almost whispered. Most people assumed Hikaru was exaggerating, and here was the first person to take Hikaru at his actual words. Despite this, Hikaru stuck to his usual routine of brushing off people's concerns. They were never interested for long anyway, and rarely were they genuinely worried. "Naw, he'll be annoyed, though. I got a bad grade even though I studied a whole lot."

"May I?" The man gestured toward Hikaru's hand which was still clenching the test tightly. He hadn't realized that he was holding it the whole time.

"Sure, Fujiwara-san," Hikaru said, embarrassed, holding the papers out to him.

"Please, call me Sai, Hikaru!" Fujiwara-san's nose wrinkled and he admonished him, "You do not hear me calling you Shindo-san." Hikaru chuckled at the man's childish nature. He was more of a kid than Hikaru. Fujiwara-san smooth out the papers, and Hikaru knew the moment that Fujiwara had seen the grade since the man's eyes widened and his eyebrows creased in consternation. "Oh dear…Hikaru, this is actually passing, but do you study at all?"

Hikaru felt the blood rush to his cheeks. He shouldn't have shown Sai his exam. Now the man would think him stupid. "I did, I really did, but I can't concentrate on history! It's too boring!" He really couldn't concentrate on anything else either.

"Boring?" Sai said, aghast. "History is exciting, relevant. Like this question, about the emperor—how could you not know that?"

"I just can't remember stuff!" Hikaru said, indignant. He swiped the test back and crumpled it in his fist. "I think I'll be going, Fujiwara-san," he muttered as he turned.

A hand securely grasped his wrist. "Wait, Hikaru. Sit down, hm? I guess history interests me more than it does for most people. I actually earned my doctorate in Japanese history."

Hikaru reluctantly sat down and looked up at Sai through his bangs. "What? How old are you, eighteen?" Hikaru estimated incredulously. Sai didn't look old enough to have a Ph.D.

Sai laughed lightly and finished setting stones on the Go board. "I am in my twenties, thank you very much. I went into college classes early and got my doctorate online while I worked on becoming a Go professional," Sai said without an ounce of hubris. "Look at this set-up. What would be your next move?"

Hikaru analyzed the board. It looked simple enough, much simpler than the first problem he had solved the first time he had met Sai. He picked up a black stone and placed it hesitantly. "You must be smart," he said, thinking of all Sai's accomplishments.

Sai waved off the compliment. "Not at all, I am just studious. Actually, do you need any help with history? I am willing to lend my tutoring skills should you need them. In return, you can play games against me." The arrangement didn't sound fair, really. He was learning how to play a board game and getting the tutoring he needed? What exactly was Fujiwa- Sai getting from this agreement?

Sai placed a white stone against Hikaru's black, a move he hadn't expected. Creasing his brow, Hikaru clacked another stone upon the board, capturing three white ones. "That would be great, Dr. Fujiwara," he teased as he saw Sai lay another stone, one that threatened the first black stone he had placed.

"Then we can just meet here. What time is good for you?"

Hikaru placed another stone to try to save his cluster, but it looked hopeless. "How are Wednesdays…at 4? I really gotta get home on time, or else my dad'll get annoyed."

Sai eagerly captured Hikaru's stones, and the drill was over. "Four is good. Now Hikaru, you know you messed up at the very beginning. You must look deeper into the problem, and see if there are any traps. You fell right into that one!"

Hikaru laughed abashedly and rubbed the back of his head. Sai could only laugh at the young boy's innocence. He hadn't seen a child play with such enthusiasm and skill for years. Even the young Touya Akira, in all his years, never seemed to have as much fun as this boy.

* * *

"He is_ brilliant_," Sai declared over coffee, or tea in his case, the next day. There were only two professionals in the entire building who drank tea, but their clout was so great that the quality was much better than the quality of the coffee.

"Oh?" Ogata asked disinterestedly. "How long have you know him, a week?"

Sai huffed and poured himself another cup of tea. "A little under a month, I would say," muttered Sai defensively. "Anyway, you would love to see him play. He is innovative, creative, brilliant."

"As brilliant as you? Will he be earning his doctorate in a few days?"

Ogata didn't need to look to know that Sai was blushing. "No? Then perhaps he will be winning the Nobel Peace Prize? Or at the very least, graduating from Tokyo University?"

"Seiji, do not mock me!" Sai whined. Ogata hated it when the prodigy whined. Where was the elegance, the grace of the most powerful go master in history? Surely not in the man before him, whining, bottom lip trembling and eyes tearing up. Ogata didn't know why he drank his coffee with the man half the time. He had a certain irresistibility about him, the same kind of pull that puppies had over women, or perhaps that Toya Akira had over the older Go professionals. Fujiwara Sai was strange, cute, some said, and ridiculously skilled at Go.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts so that he could continue the futile conversation. Sometimes he had to remind himself that the killer on the Go board was the same man whining at him now. "Then what kind of brilliant is he?"

Sai's eyes flashed, and Ogata briefly saw the awe-inspiring mortal god of go. "The kind of brilliant the Go world needs."

Ogata rolled his eyes. Trust Fujiwara Sai to the dramatics. That reply gave him no answers at all. "I'm sure. Don't you have a game today?" He tried to move the subject away from the boy Sai had been obsessing over for the last three and a half weeks.

"Nope."

An aristocratic eyebrow lifted. "But you haven't played any games today."

"Nope." Sai smiled secretively. Why was the damn irritating man here at all? No. Sai did not. If Ogata were less cultured, he would have groaned and hit his forehead with his hand.

"SAI!" a young voice hollered.

No. No, no no, that idiot did not invite his brilliant nobody to the Japan Go Association. He did not, he couldn't have—

"Hikaru, there you are! This is Ogata Seiji. Seiji, this is Shindo Hikaru, my young friend."

Ogata was more surprised than he expected to be. He had at least anticipated a boring kid, maybe with glasses. Actually, he had been thinking something along the lines of a nerdier Toya Akira. Not _this_. Not this presumptuous kid with bleached bangs and a ratty, duct-taped backpack. Not this punk with his uniform unbuttoned, shirt untucked, and shoes muddy. Ugh. He was mucking up the Go Institute. "Hello, Shindo-san," he said tersely. Was Sai risking so much for this kid? Really?

"Oh, hey uh, Seiji? Sai's said a lot about you," the boy said as he fidgeted. What an awful habit, fidgeting! And did he call him 'Seiji'? What gave him the right to call him by his first name! He glanced over at Fujiwara who was also fidgeting a bit. No doubt it was Sai's influence. Ugh, was that dirt on the boy's face? How repulsive. And his hair! More than the fact that his bangs were blond, his hair was absolutely horrible, unhealthy dry straws. He was tempted to reach out and see if the strands were really as damaged as they looked, but the thought of touching the boy sent unpleasant shivers down his spine.

"Oh, has he?" Ogata said coolly, glancing at Sai who was happily hopping from foot to foot. Where the man's dignity went when he wasn't playing Go, Ogata never knew. "And what has he said, Shindo_-san_?" he asked pointedly. Ogata hoped he was making the boy nervous. Pft, there was no brilliance here.

"Only that you were pretty good," he said with a smile. Quickly, his gaze sharpened and he continued, "But not as good as Toya."

What?

"Toya-san, I meant," said the teenager with the kind of aloofness that Ogata associated with himself. The teen suddenly laughed and rubbed the back of his head like the characters would in a childish comic. "I meant Toya-meijin-san? I don't know what I meant!" Well, there went the resemblance to himself. Ogata would never lower himself to look so inept.

Ogata wasn't sure if he was looking too deeply into things, or if the boy really was as cutthroat as he seemed in that split second before his carefree attitude returned. He had to assume that the boy would never be his ally, since it seemed the boy didn't consider anyone his rival except for Toya Mejin. And no one looked down upon Ogata Seiji.

"Oh Hikaru, you're ridiculous," Sai laughed and hit him lightly with his closed fan. Or not so lightly.

The boy visibly winced and just adjusted his school jacket. "That hurt, Sai."

"I'm sorry, Hikaru. You know what? I'll make it up to you. How's a game in one of the pro rooms sound?" How did such an uncouth brat get Sai into his clutches? He didn't seem particularly manipulative, but somehow he had Sai willing to take him up to a professional room for a free game. Most adults had to beg for a chance to pay Fujiwara to play shidougo. And yet this boy didn't look eager at all. Did the two realize what it looked like when Sai, Fujiwara Sai, took a young boy upstairs?

Ogata wasn't sure what he was watching as the boy looked nervously at the elevator. Was the boy afraid of heights? Or claustrophobic? No, perhaps it was just because the building was new to him. Or maybe he knew of Sai's reputation. Ogata felt himself indignant on Sai's behalf.

With a worried expression on his face, the teen looked back at Sai. "I thought we were going to study history? I've got another history test this Friday, and I'm still recovering after telling my dad about that sixty I got on my last one…"

"Pmdfgt," Ogata sputtered as he almost spit out his coffee. "A sixty? This is your brilliant protégé?" Ogata laughed. He really had nothing to worry about. This boy was a danger to no one, least of all Ogata. Let Sai have his fun. As long as the boy did nothing to hurt the naïve man.

"Protégé?" the boy asked, completely without a clue. So Sai hadn't yet told him. "Hey, I didn't say we'd be meeting just to play that old game, alright!"

Ogata glanced at Sai. The man sure didn't look like he was nervous at having been caught in his lie. So he had an unwilling student. What was the use of ability if the boy didn't want to use it?

"I'll be going now, Fujiwara-san. Good luck, young man," Ogata said congenially, mostly for show. Sai's interest in the boy would die as soon as he realized that the boy had no desire to play Go. His little project would fall to the wayside, and they'd all continue their lives as if little Shindo had never come by.

* * *

Hikaru hesitantly let the door creak open. He had spent all afternoon with Sai at the park again and knew he was supposed to have gone straight home from school since it was a Friday. The lights were on. Someone was waiting for him. Cautiously, he put one foot before the other on the staircase, knowing how to avoid the squeaky ones by heart. Finally, in his room, he let the door shut loud and started doing up the locks. There was no way he'd see his father tonight. Hikaru had no patience or tolerance for a fight.

"Hikaru, are you here?" he heard from the hallway. He jumped a little, but relaxed when he realized that it was just his mother's voice.

He slid open the locks silently, and peeked around the barely open door. "Yeah?" He asked quietly. He never knew when his father was around.

She smiled. "He's off on a business trip. I made ramen!"

Hikaru grinned and opened the door the rest of the way. "Perfect!"

Sitting across the table from his mother was not an unusual occurrence. Of course, they had these times less and less as he saw his father at home more often.

"Hikaru, your teacher called today," his mother started. Hikaru tensed. What happened now? He hadn't fallen asleep in class, he wasn't disruptive, he hadn't failed anything, he hadn't been found out, what could his teachers possibly want?

Tentatively, he raised his eyes and dropped his mouth when he saw his mother grinning widely. "An A on your last history test, Hikaru? Amazing!" It was ironically funny that his teacher felt the need to call his home to tell his parents about a good grade. Was it so unbelievable? "As soon as your father comes home, I'll be sure to tell him!"

Hikaru had mixed feelings about that. Would getting better grades stop his dad from getting mad at him? What would happen then? Then his survival would depend on his ability to do well in class, but…but he couldn't possibly do that well in all of his classes. He would expect such an improvement in all his classes, and then college-

But he was getting far too ahead of himself.

Better just rejoice in the moment.

"An A! Man, I worked so hard for that A!" he grinned back at his mother. Now, she looked like she was glowing. Her hair, much like his own, was usually ratty and unkempt but today, she looked stunning. The pallor was gone and the crow's feet by her eyes was way more welcome than the deep bags underneath them. How a smile could light up a face.

He slurped the rest of his ramen down, noodles and all, and helped his mother clear the table. "How long is he going to be gone on his trip?" Hikaru suddenly asked. He needed to know, to prepare.

She didn't look at him. "At the most a week."

Hikaru stiffened. A week? When he was younger, he had at least a month, back when the economy hadn't tanked and the company still sent their businessmen overseas for minor problems…he remembered when he first started Haze Middle School, and everything started going downhill. He treasured those months when his father was off in another country working. It meant a month that he and his mother were safe.

Suddenly, he felt two hands on both his arms, and he froze. His eyes were squeezed shut even though he knew that in the occasion of a fight, it would have been more logical to keep them open to avoid an attack. Tense, he let one eye open and the other followed. Instead of seeing his father's face before him, as he'd become so used to, he was looking into his mother's concerned eyes.

"Hikaru, don't hate him," she whispered pleadingly, "You remember how he was, right? Just endure with me a little longer, because this slump won't last forever. Our Masao will come back to us." And Hikaru knew what she meant, but he couldn't believe it. If he wanted to keep his sanity, he couldn't believe it. But he wanted to.

"I-I'm going to go study." He wasn't sure how else he could have responded. There really was nothing he could say to that. Could he say,

_"Hell no, that bastard deserves every ounce of hatred I can muster!"_

Or

_"I suppose. After all, I remember how great he was before…"_

He couldn't. Frankly, he didn't know how he felt. He would never go so far as to hate a person, even his father. But he couldn't find room for forgiveness either. Even when there were flashes of the man Shindo Masao used to be. There was a middle ground, but Hikaru didn't know where it was or if he even wanted to take it. Wallowing in his hatred would be so much easier.

He flopped face-down on his bed, letting this thoughts swirl aimlessly. What could he do? Well, he suddenly thought, it was a Friday night. Shouldn't he be out having fun, not studying? His father wasn't home, and his mother would do anything to have him happy when his father wouldn't know…

"Mom, I'm going out!"

"What? Where?" she asked. She didn't say no, didn't ask why, just where.

"To take a walk. I'll be back before midnight," he said, pecking her once on the cheek to make her feel better. He knew she felt guilty much of the time and he would do anything to assuage that guilt. His mother didn't deserve anything that his father put her through. However, himself? He knew he was a stupid accident, stupid in more ways than one, and he deserved whatever his father thought he deserved. But his mother never really did anything wrong. No, he refused to place any blame on her frail shoulders.

"Love ya," he called out as he left the house. He didn't look at her as he ran off, because even though he said he'd be back, he knew if he turned around he'd see the desperate look of loneliness in her expression and he would guiltily return to that prison. But he needed this freedom for once. Freedom from that house, the guilt, the pressure, the responsibility…

He whooped loudly and energetically when he realized he had a few hours to do whatever he wanted. Such freedom from his worries was hard to come by, and he pledged to treasure this time.

So he wasn't sure why, or even how, he found himself in a weird area of town. Behind him was a string of seedy stores, so he kept going forward. But before him were equally questionable stores, except for one.

A Go salon? He had no idea they existed. After a day of mind-numbing classes and then interchangeably playing Go and studying with Sai, he had to say that he saw the allure of the game. He himself wasn't entranced by it, but he could see why people enjoyed playing. And for some reason, he wasn't sick of it. _Yet_, he told himself; _he wasn't sick of it yet..._

He walked into the smoky room and immediately regretted it. The smoke was the first thing he noticed, and after cutting through the haze, he could only see old people among the cancerous blanket of gray.

"Yo Shu-san, I'll cover that guy's bill," some kid declared as Hikaru walked in. Wait, him?

He pointed to himself, incredulous. "No, I'm no good. I'll just watch or something-"

"Naw, you'll learn best by playing. C'mon!" He had orange hair, two popped collars, and a smug expression.

Hikaru had little choice in the matter as he was dragged to a board and given the go-ke full of little black stones. "I'm just learning too, so it's good to play someone at the same level. By the way, I'm Mitani Yuki," the kid said happily.

Well, he had time to spare and he didn't have to spend any money...what the heck. "Shindo Hikaru."

It came as a complete surprise when Hikaru easily beat him and in fact ended up going easy on him. More of a surprise, however, was when Mitani challenged him again, this time putting money on the table. "I'd say we're evenly matched, right Shindo-kun? Let's make a little bet." he suggested with a grin.

Hikaru wouldn't say that. According to the stones, he had won by a lot. It seemed the gap between them was as big as the gap between himself and Sai. "Uh," but it still didn't feel right. "Actually, I think I'm better than you," he said simply.

Mitani's eyebrow twitched and he slammed another thousand yen onto the table, never once losing his playful grin. "C'mon, Shindo-kun, I betcha I can take you."

"Fine. But only if you take a handicap." Was he usually this fair? Hikaru couldn't remember a time in his life when he wouldn't willingly take advantage of a situation like this. But it would be just _wrong_ to enter into this bet knowing how badly the other kid would lose. But money was money...

Mitani smirked. "Okay, I'm playing black and putting down five stones. Enough for you?" he asked snarkily.

Hikaru looked at him uncomfortably, but also managed to fish out two thousand yen from his meager savings. It was only for emergencies, but he couldn't lose. And the chance to win money was too enticing. What he could do with an extra two thousand yen!

The play was suddenly harder. Hikaru found himself resorting to strategies he had learned from Sai only that afternoon, and still, this kid was keeping up with him. The idea occurred to him that he had just been hustled...but Hikaru didn't want to believe it. This was the first kid he'd seen his age who played the ancient game. He thought he had maybe found a comrade of sorts.

What was that?

Hikaru glanced at a group of stones that he could have sworn looked different a second ago. He frowned, but continued playing, determined to just keep a sharper eye out in the future.

But then, as Mitani was reaching across the board, Hikaru saw the boy's sleeve move a white stone by one point. Which would easily kill Hikaru's group if Mitani clacked a black stone in the space that was recently vacated.

"You cheated!" Hikaru accused him, jumping from his chair so quickly that it toppled over behind him.

"What? Says who?" Mitani jabbed a finger toward him.

"Says me! I saw your sleeve move my stone!"

"Psh, just sit down and continue the game. Quit trying to kill my concentration."

What? That kid was accusing Hikaru of cheating? What a snake, he thought. He _saw_ him cheat. But Hikaru was ahead by a good amount. He just needed to finish the game quickly and win.

But it hadn't happened. Mitani swept up the bills and smirked. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it? We'll have to do it again sometime!" And happily skipped away, leaving Hikaru sitting bonelessly in front of the goban.

How had that boy won? Obviously, there had been a bit of hustling, but Hikaru was sure that he was already better than the other boy. He should have won. He had even used some of Sai's moves, and Hikaru could swear that the other boy was cheating!

Well, Hikaru would just have to prove that he could win against such a cheater. He needed to get better, if only to earn his money back. An easy plan formed in his head, and to put it into action, he'd need Sai's help.

* * *

Notes: As a somber reminder to anyone who's ever read a multi-chapter story of mine: I do not write perfect happy endings. Bittersweet, sometimes, but nothing ever wraps up all fairytale-like. So even though I really don't know where this is going, I doubt it's going to a land of happy times and bunnies. Hope you enjoyed the story so far, though. I don't even have an outline finished, and I never start posting a story without having an outline. _So._ Chapters will be sporadic, and I hope you all don't hate , I really don't want to abandon this. I'm really liking this story and my ideas for the plotline...but I'll need your thoughts, even if it's just a word (though I do love those paragraph-long reviews), to make sure my interest doesn't wander.


	3. Chapter 3

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: Call me the canon-killer. I'm back with another HnG story, though this will be far less fantasy than eternity was. Really important notes at the end.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

_

* * *

_

Akari didn't frequent the park as Hikaru often did. The one day she decided to walk through it, she was surprised to see Hikaru staring down at a checkerboard or something and sitting on the grass across a strange-looking woman. She would have thought her a hippie, what with her waist-long onyx hair and loose flowery clothing, except that once she stepped up to them, she saw _his_ perfectly manicured nails and that _he_ was sitting comfortably in seiza. Did well-dressed and traditional Japanese hippies exist?

She was still behind Hikaru, but he seemed too absorbed in the game, which now she recognized as Go, to notice her. Her footsteps were light as she sidled up to his spot and whispered urgently in his ear, "Hikaru!"

"Aah!" he yelped as he dropped his stone and toppled over.

Akari hid her giggles behind a hand and kneeled down beside him to help him sit up.

"That was a dirty trick, Akari," Hikaru accused. The weird guy sitting across the board was laughing lightly too, and Hikaru didn't spare him from his glare. "And you, what're you laughing at?" He sat cross-legged and clacked a stone onto the board. Nothing on the board made any sense to her, and she was starting to wonder how Hikaru understood it at all.

"Good, good," the other man said, gazing at the formations. Hikaru brightened at the comment, and it seemed he had completely forgotten she was there. Was he ignoring her? What was going on? The man expertly placed a white stone on the board. "Now, if I go here, where would you go? Try not to get caught up in the ko battle."

Hikaru's concentration was again solely focused on the board, and Akari wondered what was so mesmerizing about it that he'd ignore her. She thought they could hang out today, but if all he wanted was to play board games...she sighed and started to get up.

"Yo, Akari, where ya going?"

"Well, I was going to home since you look busy…"

"We're not busy at all—"

"Hikaru!"

Hikaru rolled his eyes at his older friend. "It's just Go, Akari. We can play anytime. Oh by the way, this is Sai. Sai, this is Akari."

The hippie named Sai stood up and bowed in greeting. "It is very nice to finally meet you, Akari." So he'd heard of her? Exactly what did Hikaru tell him about her?

"Uh, same?"

"Oh Hikaru, have you told her nothing about me?" Sai turned to Hikaru and asked in a hurt voice. For some reason, Akari felt annoyed at Hikaru for hurting this man's feelings. She knew nothing about him apart from his name, and was already feeling sympathetic toward him. He turned to Akari and smiled. "I am just Hikaru's tutor."

Hikaru had a tutor? In Go? It was funny because she couldn't believe Hikaru had found a teacher, tutor, or any sort of authority figure he could like or become friends with. Especially since this was _Go. _Maybe it helped that this guy was kind of immature too, judging by the flamboyant display of emotion.

"It just never came up, Sai. Is it really that important?"

The weird man-child pouted, but Akari found it endearing. Much cuter than Hikaru ever was. "Why are you even playing this game, Hikaru? When your Grandpa was showing you all his Go trophies, you seemed really bored. I remember that one time you challenged him to a match, but your concentration was completely shot! What makes this different?" She noticed the long-haired man stiffening at her words. What had caught his attention? Did he know, she wondered, about old Shindo Heihachi? She watched him because he was interesting to watch. His emotions were openly on display, and she wondered why Hikaru didn't notice the effects of his words as he spoke.

"I was at a Go salon last week, and some kid hustled me." Hikaru shrugged. "So I'm gonna get him back by beating him without cheating." Although the last part was honorable, Akari thought the whole purpose was skewed and let her doubt show on her expression.

The older man hesitated in putting down his stone. "You...never told me about _that_." Whatever carefree attitude the man had before was completely gone. But the man, Sai, smiled a tight smile. "Well, I suppose it just never came up," he said flippantly, in much the same way Hikaru had said it. "Right?" he added, seeking affirmation.

Hikaru looked oblivious and nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't an important point. And you would've just gotten mad anyway," he shrugged it off in the way that only Shindo Hikaru could.

* * *

"I can't believe you're following me," Hikaru pouted and chanced a glance at Akari. "Do you know how weird it is that I have a babysitter?"

Akari huffed and playfully shoved him. "It's a favor for Sai. He doesn't trust you not to make a scene."

That wasn't fair. Sai just didn't trust him period. "It's a game! What kind of scene could I possibly make?" he argued. Akari merely shrugged and kept walking. Well, it seemed he'd just have to deal with it. Akari was almost as stubborn as he was. "Don't embarrass me," he settled on saying.

"Ha, you don't need help from me to embarrass yourself," she said as she slung an arm around his neck. "So what's the name of this kid who ripped you off?"

Hikaru's eyes locked onto the go salon. He hoped that the redheaded sneak was there. "Mitani Yuki," Hikaru told her.

"Hm. That name sounds familiar," she said thoughtfully. She looked up at the sign hanging above the place and glanced into the foggy salon. "Hikaru, are you sure this is safe?"

He laughed. "The only thing not safe about this place is the second hand smoke. But we won't stay here long, just long enough to get my money back from Mitani."

"And how do you know he's here, anyway?" Akari asked doubtfully as she covered her nose from the smoke. "Maybe I should wait outside…"

"There!" Hikaru pulled Akari with him, deeper into the Go salon. There, that smug-looking kid had just finished off another victim, telling from the money being exchanged over the goban. Mitani smirked and started counting his cash before the loser had even left.

He was an older man, maybe in his forties. He glanced at Hikaru and sighed. "You planning on playing against him? Don't bother. He's too good."

"Yeah, too good of a cheater!" Hikaru accused as he took the vacated seat. "Yo, Mitani!" he slammed down a thousand yen. He wasn't going to lose this time.

"That's my name. Who're you?" he asked, glancing lazily from Hikaru to Akari. As his eyes settled on Akari, the boy paused. "Do I know you?"

Akari returned the bemused look, and then snapped her fingers in recognition. "You're _that_ Mitani! Your sister works at the internet café near Haze. Wait, I've seen you in the halls. You _go_ to Haze!"

Mitani Yuki smiled, but Hikaru thought it was a predatory smile. Like a shark. "You hanging around this punk? I cleared the floor with him last week. You back for more?" he taunted Hikaru.

"Hell yea!" Hikaru challenged. Couldn't the boy tell by the yen sitting lamely on the table? "And I've got a witness here to watch that you don't cheat."

Mitani huffed as if Hikaru were accusing him of something absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps the most tell-tale sign of his guilt was the slight tensing of the shoulders and the thinness of his tight lips. "As if I need to cheat to beat you." It was welcome game, it seemed, one that both Mitani and Hikaru were eager to play.

They were well into yose when Hikaru thought he heard the clack of a stone. He figured Mitani was still trying to save the group that Hikaru had killed a few moves ago, so he didn't bother looking where Mitani had placed the stone. So intent on killing another of Mitani's group, he grabbed his own stone and was almost going to put it down when Akari spoke up. "Mitani hasn't gone yet, Hikaru. Wait your turn."

He blinked and straightened his back. He could've sworn he heard the _'ka-chi'_ of something against wood. His hand hovered over the board, but he pulled it back and dropped the stone into his go-ke. He was so close to winning, to gaining a huge advantage, that he really hadn't been paying attention to the other parts of the board.

"Ya know, if you had placed that, I could accuse you of cheating," Mitani said thoughtfully.

That was his plan, Hikaru realized. If Hikaru had placed that stone, then he would have had to forfeit the game. "I don't need to cheat." It seemed, however, that Mitani did.

The game didn't end with any explosive 'I resign!' or a close counting of territory. It was pretty clear that Hikaru had won, and that Mitani just didn't want to say the words of resignation. "You need to learn when you're beat," Hikaru said, smugly flashing the money at him.

"Just get the hell out!"

Hikaru left the go salon with a smile and two thousand yen in his pocket. He hadn't won more money, but he had the money he had lost which was good enough for him.

"Hey Hikaru." Akari walked pace by pace with him with her hands behind her back. "Do you think you could teach me about Go?"

Teach Akari? For one, she was a girl. And the girliest person at the Japan Go Association had been Sai. Two, "I'm not the best person to teach you," he said flippantly. "I'm not even that good, just better than that kid. Sai beats me by a ton every time we play. I probably wouldn't survive against someone who knew what he was doing."

"Well I don't necessarily have to be _good_," she pouted, "I just wanna know what's going on while you play. And I guess playing a game myself wouldn't be too bad."

"You wouldn't like it. _I'm_ not even that into it."

"...you looked like you were enjoying yourself."

It felt like an accusation. "It...it's interesting. Like, you have to think ahead a lot and gaining territory is a great feeling. You've no idea how awesome it is when you're counting at the very end, and it's like scoring a point in soccer except this is way better and—"

"See? You _are _that into it."

Hikaru smiled in spite of himself. "I guess I am."

_

* * *

_"Hikaru, there you are." Her voice sounded relieved and strained at the same time as she heard herself speak. Not too many things could make her so stressed, so Hikaru probably knew what was coming next. "Your father is oming home soon. tomorrow or the day after." She could read his face perfectly. He was thinking, how am I supposed to react? Yippee?

"Oh."

That was pretty much what she expected as far as verbal acknowledgement went. "I'll be sure to tell him of your latest grade. I can't see him getting too mad about that," she said with hope. Hikaru nodded halfheartedly. She didn't see why he was so unenthusiastic. She nodded her head too, reassuring herself. What could go wrong now? "So, uh, what did you do today?" Was it weird that she never knew where he was or what he was doing? Was it weird that Hikaru never felt the need to tell her? No, it was normal. Right?

"Actually, I was playing Go against this kid who beat me a while ago. But I won!" She could tell he was leaving something important out. Like, maybe they were playing in an unsavory place, or maybe they were gambling, or maybe Go was just a term for something else...drugs? Alcohol, illegal goods—

She was getting far too ahead of herself.

She took a calming breath. "Hikaru...I'm not so sure you should be investing time into something that cuts into your studying. Remember that this, this fad, it _is _only a hobby. You must continue your studies, okay?" She had seen him come home last Saturday, and that week he went off to kami knew where, and when he came home, all he did was study Go. So not a term for something worse, she reminded herself. It was just Go. That game.

The kind of game that kept him from coming home until past midnight?

Hikaru rolled his eyes, and she had to physically remind herself not to snap at him for it. Masao would have popped one on him for his disrespect, and she could do nothing to stop him. Hikaru couldn't remain so blasé about such things. "Mom, I'm not near good enough to make a career out of it—"

"A career! Please, don't even think it, Hikaru!" What Masao would do if his son played a game for a living or _d__idn't_ become a normal business man, an accountant, anything along those lines…

He laughed and took her hands. Looking, with those unnaturally hazel eyes, up into her unnaturally light eyes, he said, "It's just for fun. My tutor enjoys Go, and I play him so that he'll help me with history." There was something more, because she was almost certain that Hikaru would not study a whole week for something that was 'just for fun.' But, she thought, at least if it was for fun, he would not be getting serious about it.

So "Oh," was all she had to say.

"Yeah," Hikaru laughed again, "No need to worry."

And though a normal mother would worry about not knowing anything of this strange man who traded lessons with games, she did not. She wondered if a normal mother would want to know the name of the man, his age, his credentials, why he kept her son busy every night the past week, so late that she fell asleep on the couch waiting for him to come back through that door. She was just relieved that someone was helping her son somehow since, she thought, she was too much of a coward to do anything herself.

* * *

"How's your prodigy?" Ogata asked Sai. He was in a good mood to humor the man's eccentricities since he had just gotten out of attending a Go-related event up north. It hadn't been too stressful either, convincing the people who made the decision that sending an irate Ogata to spread the word about playing Go would be an unmitigated disaster. So instead, he had to chaperone some kiddy tournament. But it was still better than twelve hours to and from a city filled to the brim with tourists—on a Friday, no less. And anyway, Fujiwara Sai was much more pleasant on his bad days than Ogata was on any day.

"Hey, Fujiwara," Ogata snapped his fingers in front of the man's face to get his attention. For some strange reason Sai was not being forthcoming about the kid.

The younger man swatted the hand away from his face and his frown would not lift. "He is very good. Much better than I had expected."

Ogata didn't get it. "Then why are you so...quiet?" Indeed, Sai hadn't done anything Sai-ish at all lately. What had gotten to him?

"He had another teacher before me. He is not learning from scratch. He does not really care."

And that bothered him? Judging from what Sai had said before, that shouldn't have made a difference. A person couldn't learn to have the kind of amazing memory Sai had praised. Nor could the kid have learned the type of creativity in play that Sai so loved. Ogata had warned him the dangers to taking up a student who didn't want to learn. Of course, maybe he realized that all of that was just himself pushing his perceptions onto a blank canvas. Maybe the kid had none of that...Ogata merely nodded for him to continue, because that couldn't have been all that was bothering him.

Sai looked at him despondently. "Before, he had told me that he had never seen a goban. Back then, I thought it sounded strange. I could tell he was dissembling, but I was not sure why." That wasn't all of it. Ogata could tell.

Then his face broke into a smile. Not the serene smiles Ogata was used to seeing. No, this was sad, nostalgic even. "Seiji, this week had been the best week of my life. He showed up at the park, at the Go Association, wherever we were scheduled, exactly on time—sometimes earlier—and he did not leave until he was nodding off on the goban," he said with a laugh. Really? Such dedication from that brat? Ogata couldn't even remember the kid's face, he was such a generic punk. He didn't seem the type to cultivate an interest in the ancient art.

"Then his friend mentions how he had actually challenged his teacher. Not only that, but he was only taking these lessons seriously so he could win some money back from another boy who hustled him. He was gambling, Seiji, and he did not say a thing of it to me. Am I to assume that he lied to me about having ever learned this game? Am I to assume that he only wanted to learn because he wanted to get his revenge?" Sai practically spat out the last word.

So it was a problem of trust.

Sai's words spilled out even faster, and his feet moved him to pace the floor, even getting in the way of some other irritated pros. "And I do not think that anyone in his life knows about me. His apparent best friend had no idea who I am! Is he embarrassed about learning Go?" Or perhaps this was the heart of the problem. Sai felt unimportant in the kid's life, and for some reason, it was killing him. Ogata supposed that if one led a life like Sai's—no lovers, no family, no friends apart from one tightass cynic—a young prodigy as Sai first described him would have been a dream come true.

He paused in his pacing and looked up beseechingly at Ogata. "You do not understand how _great_ he will be, Seiji. If you sat across the goban from him and watched his face as he played, you would know too that he was made for Go." Sai walked back toward Ogata and frowned. But it wasn't the childish pout Ogata was accustomed to seeing. No, it was a troubling kind of frown born from his sincere worries. "If only I could show him how much fun it could be, apart from that nasty gambling. It makes me wonder if this generation, with the exception of Toya Akira, is doomed to play video games and watch the television. Or worse."

Ogata hardly wanted to give Sai ideas, but he looked so incredibly put out, so dejected, that Ogata had to at least give him a sliver of hope. "Don't be so melodramatic, Fujiwara. You should go stalk the Children's Tournament, and you'll see that the future generations don't consist only of video games." Oh, what kind of sliver of hope was that?

"You're absolutely right, Seiji."

He was always right...though he wasn't quite sure what he was right about. He saw that sly look on the man's face and was wary of what it could mean.

"What are you doing that day while I work the tournament?" Sai asked innocently.

It was awkward, being the one to have to tell him. "Actual, you and I have switched assignments. I'm staying here to do the tournament, and they're sending you up north for some other thing." Now, he felt a bit guilty. Why would he bring something up if he knew that Sai wouldn't be able to attend? Sometimes he thought himself a real jerk.

"That is not good. Who else will be working the tournament aside from you?" Now, Sai just seemed eager. Ogata was hesitant, but said anyway, "I know Toya Akira will be there—" He hoped his suggestion wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.

"Perfect! Thank you, Seiji. It was very considerate of you to spare the people in Furano from your anger."

Perhaps this was why they were friends. Sai _got _him.

* * *

Notes: Okay, I still have no idea where this is going. Really. I have a half-formed outline, and when I write stories (on this account...), I usually don't start posting until I've finished the outline and a considerable amount of chapters. It's stressful if I work from one chapter to the next. I'm thinking I'll put this on hiatus, finish the story, and start posting again. But I really don't want to do that since every time I've put stuff on hiatus, I never get back to it. For now, I'm going to continue writing the next chapter and hopefully get it up in a week. Maybe somewhere along the way, I'll finish the outline and figure out exactly what the hell I'm doing. Also, I'm starting college tomorrow so I might become super mega busy. Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: There is disturbing content in this chapter, so if you're not comfortable with violent scenes, skip the second section.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

History wasn't so bad, Hikaru had to admit. Once he knew what was going on, and once he got a restful sleep, paying attention in class was easy. In fact, it was kind of interesting. So when his sensei asked an easy question, he had no trouble raising his hand to answer. It didn't really occur to him until he was practically teaching the class about the beginning of the Edo period that Sai had taught him far more than he needed to know for his test. He was actually a few weeks ahead of the class, he figured.

"Shindo Hikaru, please stay after class!"

Hikaru groaned as he heard his teacher call his name. What did he do now? He awkwardly waited at the teacher's desk, all the while noting his classmates' snickers and eye-rolling. Once most of them had left, Hikaru glanced at his teacher warily.

"Shindo," he said as he lowered himself into his chair, "let me just say that I was very impressed with the grade you got on your last test." The teacher smiled at him, a rarity. Usually the man was shouting at him to wake up or sending him out to the hall.

"Uh, yeah." Well, what else could he say?

The teacher gestured at a student desk in front of his own. Hikaru hesitantly sat down. It felt like the times when teachers would hold him after class to talk about his behavior or scold him about not bringing his homework. Except this was the complete opposite. How long would this take anyway? He had to meet Sai soon…tell him that he couldn't show up as often. Hikaru wasn't looking forward to the conversation.

"I called your mother, and she was equally impressed. I must say, Shindo, that your participation in class has also gotten better. Whatever you're doing, keep at it."

Hikaru returned the man's smile and waited for him to continue. He wouldn't have suggested sitting unless he was planning to have a longer conversation. "Yeah, I got some help." And his dad had been gone for a while. That had helped.

"Actually, that was what your mother told me. Though she didn't know your tutor's name. I wish to recommend him to other students who are struggling."

Was that okay? Would Sai make the same deal with others as he had made with Hikaru? For some reason, he really hoped not. "He's very particular. I'm gonna have to ask him." He paused and in a very ostentatious gesture, glanced at his watchless arm under the tabletop. The man couldn't see that he wasn't wearing a watch since the teacher was seated on the other side of his huge desk. "Actually, I'm supposed to be meeting him right now—"

"By all means," the teacher stood, that grin never leaving his face. "Remember to ask him, okay?"

"Got it!" Hikaru slung his backpack over his shoulder and rushed out as quickly as he could. Today was a playing day, not so much a studying day. Sai would get more annoyed that their time was cut shorter. Not to mention that his dad would be getting home today.

The train ride to the park felt longer than usual, but Hikaru chalked it up to nervousness. He had to suggest something that he knew Sai wouldn't like. So when he saw the long-haired man sitting on the grass in perfect seiza, he gulped. "Yo, Sai."

"Hikaru, you are late!" he said, more out of concern than in exasperation.

"My teacher had to talk to me. He wants to know if you want to tutor other kids." Hikaru really hoped not.

He could have jumped up and whooped when he saw the look of consternation on the man's porcelain face. "I—I really do not think that is a good idea." Instead, Hikaru breathed a great sigh of relief. Not sure why he was nervous in the first place.

"In fact, you ought not to tell others who I am," Sai continued. Now this was kind of weird, Hikaru thought. Why didn't Sai want people to know he was tutoring him? He was going to ask why, but the Go professional snapped his fan closed and pointed to a point on the board. "If black went here, where would you, white, respond?"

The rest of the afternoon passed in much the same way. Sai set up problems, and Hikaru solved them. Then once the sun started to lower, they prepared for a game. Sai was once again white and Hikaru black.

"Hey, Sai, I uh…I need to tell you something." Sai wouldn't like it, Hikaru knew. Sai wouldn't like it at all.

"Yes, Hikaru?" Sai was so focused on the game that he didn't even lift his head as he scoured the goban.

"I think we should meet less often."

_Ku-chi-chi-chi_

Sai's head snapped up. "Why?" He looked back down and realized he had dropped his stone onto the board. Onto a useless point. It wouldn't be the end of him and it basically gave Hikaru an extra stone. The younger boy was already on the losing track anyway, so it didn't make much of a difference.

"Well you see," _my dad would get pissed and take his anger out on me if I was home too late or missing everyday like I have been for the past two weeks. _"I beat Mitani. We don't need to be so intense anymore." Though he really, _really_ wanted to keep playing Go with Sai. "And I'm light-years ahead of everyone else in history." Though he could always learn more, since Sai made it so interesting.

"Oh," Sai simply said. There was silence, one that neither was brave enough to break.

Eventually, "It is your turn, Hikaru."

Hikaru blinked a few times before he realized that Sai would say nothing more on the matter. He was kind of relieved that Sai wasn't making a huge deal out of it, but he also was a little unsatisfied with the man's reaction. Shouldn't he be sadder? Or arguing or something?

He grabbed a stone and clacked it onto the board. "So, yeah. Maybe two times a week?"

"But before we met thrice!" There was the indignant response Hikaru would rather have. Sai was always rather petulant. A resigned Sai was a weird Sai.

"Yeah, but I know my dad wonders where I was all the time." Though maybe his father would be more lenient since his last test was so great? It was a hopeful thought, and Hikaru had long ago learned not to hope too much. If indeed his dad wouldn't be impressed, as Hikaru predicted, then it would be better to be home more often. He couldn't stay out too late every day, knowing that his mother was there, practically defenseless.

Sai pouted, and Hikaru smiled at him. Sai's pouts were cuter than puppies.

* * *

"An A, Hikaru," Shindo Masao said apathetically, putting dried dishes away. Hikaru had come home mere minutes ago to see him speaking with his mother, and then turning on the kitchen faucet for warm water. Hikaru wasn't sure what this new piercing calm was, but it was starting to unsettle him. His dad was still facing the sink when he took a breath. "An A in History. Do you understand, brat," he snarled, "how late in coming that grade is?"

He took a step back. The menacing gleam only looked more malicious than before. But it made no sense. He did it, he got an A! It wasn't fair! Another cautious step back.

"What about your other grades, huh, Hikaru?" the man hissed, advancing on him.

He was being cornered. "They'll come up too! I swear!" Hikaru would do anything to avoid this fight. Even promise the enraged man something impossible.

"No, I think you need proper motivation. After all, you promised me an A before, but look what happened then." He turned so that he was completely blocking the exit.

Hikaru's throat was dry and he was all too aware of the running water in the already half-filled sink. The water! It must still have been hot…he walked until his back was up against the counter. His hand fumbled behind him for the half-rinsed dishes and latched onto what he hoped was the large cooking pot. His father growled and seemed to spring toward Hikaru with all the agility of a rattlesnake. Hikaru made a last ditch effort to get away, swinging his arms forward and splashing as much hot water onto the man as possible without losing his grip on the pot's handle.

It didn't seem to slow him down at all. He should've thrown the metal pot instead. "How dare you!" Maybe it would've knocked his dad out.

The man grabbed an iron hold over the hand that held the handle, killing Hikaru's grip on it. He felt the hot metal land on his foot and he flinched, but he was far more horrified at what his father seemed to be doing. The man yanked the faucet to its hottest setting, pulling Hikaru forward.

"We'll see how you like it, huh?"

Hikaru struggled to get away, getting _away _his only goal. But his foot must have been blistering already and he felt the pain blossoming from his hand as his skin was submerged in the scalding water. He could feel it, blistering, boiling, burning! With a whole new effort, he screamed and pulled and scratched and bit and even tried to swing a punch with his only free hand. He felt tears rise unbidden to his eyes as his voice caught in his throat and he could swear that his skin would burn off and his whole arm would turn necrotic from the pain and the heat. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll do better, I swear," Hikaru pleaded but his entire hand remained underwater. He could feel the metal of the bottom of the sink against his palm, hot but not burning as the water was.

"Pleasepleaseplease, I'll do better!" he finally screamed as his voice cracked.

There was one last rough shove back into the water. "I'll hold you to it," his father simply said, letting go of his forearm and leaving Hikaru to fall limply to his knees. Hikaru would have cradled his burnt arm close to himself if simply touching the skin did not feel like burning all over again. He needed…he needed a first aid kit, yes. Then sleep.

But he didn't want to stand, to do anything. He glanced at his arm and marveled sickly at the glove of burnt flesh that was forming. It was hideous.

How did you treat such a thing? The pain was white, he thought, if pain had a color. He figured he should do something about his hand, but he could barely stand, let alone go searching the house for a first aid kit. No, lying here was good enough for now. Maybe if he never woke up he'd see someone who cared.

* * *

"Oh, Hikaru, what happened?" Akari asked when she saw Hikaru a week later. The park was neutral territory, so whenever Akari wanted to hang out with both her friends and Hikaru, they found themselves there.

Hikaru didn't hesitate to don his affected cloak of cheerfulness and smiled to ease her concern. "Aw, it's nothing. I was trying to get something at the bottom of the sink, and I didn't realize the water was still hot." He laughed and moved his bandaged hand from her sight.

"You're so thoughtless, Shindo," a friend of Akari's laughed. "Yeah, you should be more careful."

But Akari didn't seem satisfied. "What was so important?"

"Nothing really, I was just trying to find my chopsticks cause I wasn't finished eating."

"Let me guess, ramen?" another of Akari's friends laughed. Most of these people were kids he knew at Haze middle school but never got close to. Back then, he and Akari were good enough for each other. Without him, it seemed Akari branched out and was doing quite well for herself. Hikaru nodded and laughed with all of them, wondering if they really thought him so simple.

Relieved, Akari smiled at him since he was brushing it off like he always did. Smile, laugh, and scratch your head like a monkey. That's what they all expected.

"Hey Shindo, I heard from a guy at your school that you quit soccer."

Hikaru wasn't sure where this inquiry was going, so he just cautiously said, "Yeah, so?"

"Just wondering why, I mean it's not like you need the extra time to study, and you don't have any other extracurricular stuff. You used to love soccer."

Should he just tell the truth? Akari already knew the gist of it, and only her opinion mattered to him. It seemed harmless enough. "I got a tutor to help me out. I mean, just because I don't know if I want to go to college, doesn't mean I should completely kill that route, ya know?"

"That's a smart idea, Hikaru."

He gave Akari a real smile this time. Her approval meant a lot to him.

"Hey, guys!"

"Yo, Mitani-kun, 'sup?"

Hikaru's mouth dropped open as his eyes latched onto the redhead. "What're you doing here?" He asked, none too happy. He hadn't intended to ever see the swindler again.

Mitani shrugged. "Hanging. Like you. Turns out, Akari and I share some friends, so I figured I'd join you all."

"Oh," he simply muttered. What else could he say? "Akari," he said thoughtfully, "You saw him at the salon. Did he seem like a good person then?"

"Hikaru!" she scolded him. What did he do now?

"Yeah, Shindo. You played one game against Mitani-kun and suddenly you can tell if he's a good person or not?" one of Akari's friends protested. Two games, actually. Both in which the little brat tried to cheat. And then there was the first game, which was really just Mitani's ploy in order to hustle him.

"Mitani-kun is our friend, and he can hang out with us if he likes. You know, how you're Akari's friend." Hikaru was _Akari's _friend. He wasn't a friend to anyone else there, but Mitani Yuki...Mitani went to their school. He knew all of them, including Akari. The redhead managed to waltz in and take their affections. Including Akari's.

* * *

"Why are you using your left hand, Hikaru?"

Hikaru placed his stone and self-consciously rubbed the bandages wrapped around his burnt right hand. Last time, they had agreed (well Hikaru had told him and Sai reluctantly allowed it) to meet every Tuesday and Thursday. Except he had _skipped_ the entire week (to be fair, he had missed a day of school too) and this was technically his first day back since he had told Sai of the new schedule. It had been a while since the kitchen incident and he had taken off the hardcore bandages by now, but it still looked...not pretty. "Uh, I dropped something in the sink and I really needed to get it out. Except the water was really hot." At least he had it bandaged a little; then he could say it just looked worse than it really was and people would leave him alone.

But Sai frowned. "Human reflexes would force you to pull out if the water was hot enough to damage your hand." He slowly laid a stone. He looked doubtful.

"Ya see, I was playing around and my mom's favorite whats-it-called, her favorite necklace fell into the sink when she wasn't there. I didn't want her to know I was being reckless so I kind of had to get it out." Hikaru faked a laugh. "I can't remember what I told her I dropped…" He added, just to give credence to his story. He hoped he wasn't giving too much detail. Too much or not enough detail could break a lie.

"Does it still hurt?"

Hikaru wasn't sure why he was so surprised by the question. Maybe it was because he hadn't expected it. From anyone. "Eh, sometimes. Don't worry though, it'll get better."

"Well, I should hope so..." Sai said, like he couldn't decide to be suspicious or concerned. He didn't acknowledge Hikaru's clumsiness or irresponsibility, probably because it looked like he wasn't convinced by the half-baked fabrication. Hikaru wasn't sure why, but he felt a bit grateful that Sai wouldn't believe him. His teachers had.

Hikaru shrugged, a genuine smile now adorning his face. "Sai, how are you with Trig?"

"Quite competent, I should think. Mathematical thinking helps in Go. Why? Do you have a test?"

"Yep. Stupid triangles. Oh, and on Wednesday, I have a chemistry quiz on stuff I have no chance of understanding," he pouted. Was he lucky enough to have a history tutor who was also good at science?

Sai grinned and clacked down another stone, effectively killing any chance Hikaru had of winning. "Of course! It is all just memorization and little calculations. I will help you out, and in return you will go to a tournament this Saturday." It seemed Sai had been planning something while Hikaru had been skipping.

"I resign." Hikaru then leveled a weak glare at him. "I thought the conditions were: you get someone to play with and I get a tutor?"

Sai shook his head and started dropping the stones back in the go-ke. "That was for history. This is more." At Hikaru's unamused stare, Sai adopted a sad face. "Please, Hikaru? For me? You do not even have to participate, just at least watch! Maybe you will enjoy it. You have enjoyed playing, yes?"

Hikaru contemplated it. Watching a tournament wouldn't be too bad. "...will you be there the entire time?" he inquired.

"No, alas, I will not be able to watch. I have go-related prior engagements." At least it seemed like he was truly disheartened at not being able to go.

"No way," Hikaru decided, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. He peeked a little, and saw Sai's resigned face. But it wasn't the kind of face that one adopted when accepting defeat. No, this was the kind of face that a person had when he had to resort to something he didn't want to do.

"Then have fun failing Trigonometry," he said with a sigh.

Hikaru stiffened.

He couldn't fail Trig. He just couldn't. He wouldn't survive the anger directed at him, should he get less than an A on his next test. For a second, Hikaru hated Sai for putting a Go tournament above Hikaru's continued survival. But Sai didn't know what would happen if Hikaru didn't pass all his classes, and he couldn't blame him for something he didn't know about.

And really, what was an afternoon watching other kids play? It wasn't studying or working, and if he really didn't want to go, he could just not and say he did. He could bring some manga along and sit in a corner or something.

"I'm sure you'd be able to figure out trigonometric identities without my help," Sai continued, as if his words earlier hadn't been enough.

Hikaru let his shoulders fall in disappointment. He really thought Sai was his friend. "Okay, fine. I'll watch your stupid tournament."

Sai was still frowning, but Hikaru could tell that he was a little more satisfied. "If you must attract attention, do not let your identity be known. The Go world is not quite ready for you." What did that mean? "And do not let them know that I am your teacher, do you have that?"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. Was it really such a big deal that Sai had to remind him again? People had seen him at the Go Association with Sai. He filed the weird warnings away and settled for glaring at the rambunctious man. Because as soon as the cryptic advice left his mouth, the man was as giddy as a two year old. Go was to Sai as catnip was to a kitten.

* * *

Notes: I doubt any future violence will be worse than that. I have a general idea of what's going to happen, but after a few chapters, I'll be writing without a plan in mind. :(


	5. Chapter 5

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: Sorry about the late update. I thought I'd have more free writing time in college, but apparently not. Expect slower updates, especially since I've procrastinated and have two essays due this coming week.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

The tournament wasn't as stupid as Hikaru thought. Now Sai, Sai was pretty stupid, Hikaru seethed. There were middle school kids here, elementary even! They were all younger than him. What was Sai thinking when he had sent Hikaru to a baby tournament like this? He was almost glad that he had taken measures to disguise himself, though he doubted that anyone who really knew him would be fooled by a wig. It was the most he had. And what was the point in sending him to observe a bunch of kids playing Go against each other, anyway?

He wandered around, looking at their intensity. The kids sure were into the whole thing though, and it was nearly evening already. He had gotten there as late as possible so that he would be able to pop in and out and could say that he had stayed until the end. All of the children were focused solely on their games, young faces gazing at gobans throughout the whole room like their lives depended on it. Maybe it was because all of the parents were hovering off to the sides, vicious adults who were much too interested in the children's games. Hikaru was reminded of those crazy stage mothers he'd heard of. But the children, he observed, though playing intensely, seemed to be enjoying themselves.

It was kind of cute. And scary.

He walked through the aisles and his eye caught a board with a battle in the upper left corner. He had seen this kind of formation before, hadn't he? Maybe in a short game against Sai. He scanned the board, and indeed, the one spot would be quite important to the overall outcome of the game.

If the kid wasn't careful, the black group would die… He bent forward, wondering if the lighter-haired kid would make the right move. C'mon, 1-2, Hikaru thought to himself, urged him. 1-2!

As the stone clacked against 1-3 and the kid pulled his hand back, Hikaru released his tense breath and shook his head. "Man, so close! Shoulda gone just right above that," he lamented aloud.

The kids didn't look at Hikaru but at the board. "Oh…" one said. "Oh…" the other realized.

Only too late did Hikaru realize that he had just interrupted the game. He slammed his hands over his mouth, as if the action would stop more thoughtless words from coming out. That would change the whole flow of the game, that one harmless comment.

"Hey!" someone yelled as Hikaru's shoulder was grabbed from behind. The rough treatment and the harsh voice were signals with which Hikaru was well acquainted. An irrational fear gripped him, that somehow his father found him wasting his time at a Go tournament of all things, and he stiffened. Dodging and flinching only made it worse. Take it like a man, his father had always said.

"What are you thinking? Interfering with a match, this is a serious offense," the same someone scolded him.

The fear washed over him like water: overwhelming in one second and gone the next. He could see clearly and he was aware of where he was, but he could still feel the adrenaline. He wondered if he could just run. The man had a firm grip though, and Hikaru was going nowhere.

"Mori-san, calm down," a controlled voice told the man who had grabbed him. It was familiar, though not a comfortable kind of familiar. Where could he have heard such a voice? No one at Kuro sounded like him, and for some reason, Hikaru could remember being introduced to this blond man.

"Ogata-sensei," so his name was Ogata. "I'll take him to the back." Hikaru didn't know anyone named Ogata.

The back? What was in the back? If there was a time to run, it was now. His legs were ready to bolt, but the hand on his shoulder felt so heavy and so menacing. He knew, in his mind, that this man couldn't do a thing to him physically, but that didn't stop his body from locking up and getting ready to defend his internal organs from attack.

He was brought to a boring-sized room, neither big nor small, occupied by a few stern-looking men.

Hikaru first tried laughing it off. Nervously.

But that was answered with a sharp, "This is not a laughing matter," from a man who looked like a rat. It wasn't even shouted. It was just...stern. Hikaru attempted a bow with his hands pressed against each other in supplication. "Yes, I'm very, very sorry."

Another man ran his hand through his graying hair. "It's not that simple, young man."

"A lot of children take this tournament seriously," the man in front of him said disappointedly. He made Hikaru feel the guiltiest. Interrupting a tournament really shouldn't have been a big deal, but for some reason, because these were children whose game he ruined, he felt horrible. What would Sai think?

The first man sighed and consulted the others. "Well, he can leave now, right?" The rest nodded reluctantly, and Hikaru bowed awkwardly again before taking off. He didn't know how he could have salvaged the situation, so getting out of there as soon as possible was his only option.

"Damn, Go is way too stressful. Definitely not for me," he muttered to himself. In his rush, he didn't pause as he rounded the corner and ran straight into a huge man. "Ow!" Luckily, he hadn't lost his footing, but he was still unstable when he looked up into the older man's eyes, the frightening eyes of a strict-looking man. "Sorry," Hikaru muttered and walked around the geezer in traditional Japanese garb, not even letting the man have a chance to say anything.

"Sounds like we've had some trouble," a deep, stern-sounding voice said as the door closed. Hikaru wondered why the hell there were so many adults serious about the game. At least Sai looked like he was still playing a game when he held the stones. At least he looked like he was having fun.

Hikaru glanced at a clock and wondered how late would be too late. It was only eight-ish, not late at all. The train ride wasn't too long either, so he'd get back home between nine and ten, plenty of time to do whatever he needed or to just laze around, and he doubted his parents would have a problem with him coming home at that time.

"Hey you!"

Hikaru was tempted to turn around to see at whom the man was shouting, but it was none of his business and he really needed to get home. "You're the kid who disrupted the match? We'll need to detain your for a little longer."

This time, Hikaru spun around a whole one-eighty degrees and looked quizzically at the man. "Seriously? The other guys already said I could go!"

"Toya Meijin requests your presence."

No, hell no.

But...the Meijin? Really? No. "I think I'll just go home for the day. Thanks anyway." As tempting as it was to see the man who even Sai considered a rival, Hikaru didn't want the attention of such an influential man. Sai specifically said not to give himself away, and Hikaru knew he had little self control. He could say any stupid thing at any moment, and covering his mouth afterward would do nothing to help the situation.

"By 'requests', I actually meant 'demands'." Both men were bigger than himself, and Hikaru was tired of being the one getting picked on. He tried to make a run for it, but one of them caught his right sleeve, jarring his burnt hand, and the other was blocking his way.

"What is he, the freaking emperor?" Hikaru muttered to himself as the rat-man and man number two escorted him back. The door opened, and there towered the tall man with the frightening eyes. His arms were crossed and every person in the room looked like a pillow next to this imposing man. Of course, beside him stood that blond guy…who was he, and why did Hikaru remember him?

The men led him to a chair across a table, and Hikaru sat down. It was a horrible position to be in, since he just became two feet shorter than everyone else in the room. The Meijin took the seat across from him and folded his hands. It looked like a typical old man gesture, but as Hikaru raised his eyes, he saw the man's no-joke look. This wasn't just an old man, Hikaru quickly realized. This man was dangerous.

He didn't look like the violent type, though. Of course, there was more than one way to be dangerous. "Who is your teacher?"

Hikaru gulped and glanced over at the goban which now had every stone placed in the exact same manner as those from the disrupted game. Except for the one mistake that Hikaru had pointed out.

"Uh…" was it okay to say that someone from the Go Association was his teacher? No, Sai said specifically not to tell anyone. Had Sai anticipated something like this happening? Was there a real, substantive reason for why Sai had told him not tell anyone anything? It occurred to him too late that he really didn't know what went on in the mind of Fujiwara Sai. They really didn't know each other at all.

"Listen boy," the blond man hissed as Hikaru recoiled into his cushioned seat, "this is Toya Meijin. Sound familiar? And _he_ asked you a question." The strange blond man, Ogata, must have noticed the flinch, because now he was just analyzing Hikaru with steely eyes. Well, at least Hikaru hadn't thrown his arms up in defense. He had done that once in middle school, and questions had been asked and avoided. His father had gotten _really _mad.

"Now, now. No need to be so confrontational," the Meijin chastened him. Hikaru recognized this from the cop films he'd seen years ago. Good cop, bad cop. That's what it was, to make him talk. To feel safe around this big, apparently calmer guy. It wouldn't work, though. As far as Hikaru knew, they were both bad cops. "Just your teacher's name."

Could he say that he didn't have a Go teacher? That was a lie. Well, what was Sai to him, really? If anyone asked, the man could just be his tutor who sometimes played against him. For fun. That wasn't a student-teacher relationship concerning Go, right? But then Hikaru could just lie and say no, right? And it wasn't as if—

"Your teacher?"

Hikaru's mouth went into action before his brain. "My teacher? My Grandfather."

The blond looked down at him disdainfully, and Hikaru was suddenly reminded of another man who looked at him as if Hikaru were less than the gum scraped off his leather shoes. Ogata Seiji. Seiji. Seiji, Sai's 'one true friend,' according to him. Hikaru couldn't imagine why anyone would want this man as his 'one true friend,' but Sai was weird like that. "Your grandfather's name?" Seiji asked curtly. Yep, definitely that rude blond guy from the Go Association.

"Shindo Heihachi."

Ogata Seiji rolled his eyes. "Pfft. A nobody."

"Hey!" Hikaru protested and jumped up from his seat. He could deal with the guy ragging on him, but he could not just let him get away with snubbing his grandpa.

To their credit, the other men didn't try to stop him and merely watched on. Hikaru guessed that they didn't particularly like Seiji either. Maybe they'd congratulate him if he punched Ogata in the face. He was sorely tempted to do so.

* * *

"How about a short game?" Toya Meijin interrupted, leaning to grab something on another table.

Against the Meijin? Ogata snorted. The boy hardly stood a chance.

"Uh, I really gotta go…" he said lamely. What arrogance, Ogata sniffed. Toya Meijin was offering to play a game with him, and he was brushing it off! "My parents will be worried if I'm home late." For some reason, Ogata thought there was something strange about the way he said the words.

"Also, Toya Meijin, we do not have another goban back here," said one of the tournament staff. He walked over to the only goban in the room. "Unless you want to use this one—"

"No, a few others are stopping by later to see it," Toya Meijin said.

"Well, we do, er, have go-ke at least."

Ogata rolled his eyes. "Who was in charge of organizing this? Just go out there and fetch one," he ordered. "There's always an open goban, and I'm sure enough kids have been eliminated alrea—"

"No need," Toya Meiji said, waving his hand. The Meijin flipped through a notebook nearby and tore out a page. "Have you played any other versions of Go?" He addressed the teenager.

The boy scratched his head. "There are versions?" Did anything get through that skull of his? The strange boy looked every bit the part of the uneducated caveman, what with his messy brunette hair sticking out from under his hood.

Some of the suited men chuckled, but Ogata just crossed his arms.

"Yes. This is a simpler version that can be played on paper," the Meijin started to explain. "It is Go, but in only one dimension."

The boy was peering over at the paper, interest lighting his green eyes. Ogata watched as well, as Toya Meijin traced over one of the blue lines with his pencil and drew eleven short perpendicular lines, spaced evenly along the first line. "The rules are essentially the same; however, as you can see, there are no eyes. There is no placing a stone in a place that has just be cleared of your own stone, so as to remove the occurrence of _Ko_. If you remove your own liberties, it is not a suicide. They are safe. Once stones are dead, they are removed to be used again."

"Then how do you win, if you're not counting how many stones you've captured?"

A good question. At least the boy wasn't as stupid as Ogata originally thought. Though he couldn't be stupid at all, not if he had indeed made that insightful comment with only a second of thought.

The corner of the Meijin's mouth quirked a bit. Was it a smile? Hm, the Meijin was smiling at this boy. Perhaps he too appreciated the question. "The game ends when there are no more legal moves to be had. No resignation, no passing turns. The winner is decided by who has more stones on the line."

The boy nodded and, it seemed, completely forgot about getting home on time as he had claimed earlier. Toya Meijin placed a go-ke before of each player, and the boy reached in to pull out a black stone. So he was going first.

Even the way the boy handled the stones was clumsy. The boy easily favored his left hand over his right, Ogata noticed, and even when the boy had pulled out his chair, he had used his left hand. His grip was pathetic; he used his thumb and forefinger as beginners usually did. Who was this boy, he found himself asking.

Toya Meijin didn't seem to care whether Hikaru played with his left or right and laid a stone down with the expertise of a seasoned Go professional. The boy's own stone hit the paper. Toya Meijin responded. The boy bolstered his group. Toya Meijin captured.

The kid didn't seem perturbed by it, though. He continued. He played some seemingly stupid moves: not capturing when he probably should have and capturing when it meant he'd lose stones in the next move.

But Ogata noticed that the moves weren't all stupid. In fact, most of them paid off. It seemed the boy was thinking more moves ahead than Ogata himself was. He could see the positive potential within this boy, and decided that such a talent could not be wasted, even if it did come in a strange package.

Somehow, Toya Meijin had completely underestimated him. Ogata could tell, by the look on his face, when Toya Meijin realized that the mystery boy had somehow, somehow, miraculously pulled off a brilliant move. The gaming wasn't nearly as complicated as Go, so Ogata wondered if the boy had just gotten lucky or something. Because as the teenager, the child, dropped the last stone, they all realized that there was one less black stone than white.

Ogata didn't think the boy could win, and he was right. However, he also didn't think the boy would pose a challenge. There, he was wrong. "...who are you?" he asked. Did talent just fall from the sky like that? To grace the fingers of first Fujiwara Sai and now a strange child?

He put everything he could see of the boy into his memory. His attire, his manner of speaking, everything. In the back of his mind, he must have known that the teenager would flee at first opportunity.

* * *

"I uh," how could he answer such a question? Hikaru's eyes found a clock, and at seeing the hands in a definitely unwelcome position, he shot up. Had so much time passed during that little game? "Need to leave." He needed to get home now.

He wasn't sure how, but by some miracle, Hikaru managed to dodge five adult men and sprint down the hallway. There was no clear exit here, so, hoping that the tournament was over, he ran into the huge room that the kids had been playing in. It was empty of people except for one guy who was closing the front doors. He prayed to whatever deity would listen that they were unlocked from the inside.

"Hey!" There was a boy with a ridiculously feminine haircut standing in his way. "They tournament is over. Why are you still here—"

"Sorry, gotta run!" Hikaru hoped he didn't hurt the boy as he almost shoved him out of the way. He was running full speed at the doors, and he knew it would hurt if the doors were locked...but he could hear the men behind him, and the boy was probably quickly realizing that Hikaru was running from those guys. So magically—Hikaru thanked whatever god or goddes who decided to listen—he flew right through the doors and was already off running for the trains. The metro was still running, but it was late enough that if he had spent a few more minutes playing against _the _Toya Meijin, he would have had to wait another thirty minutes for the next train to arrive.

As he was catching his breath on the train, he wondered what would happen when he got home. There hadn't been a certain curfew, but his dad was irrational if anything, and coming home late was perfect fuel for the man's anger. He really couldn't worry about those Go guys figuring out who he was. The wig was a darker brown than he had, and it wasn't so obviously a wig that they'd be suspicious. He hadn't said anything about Sai or himself-except for his grandfather's name. Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!

Searching for the name Shindo Heihachi wouldn't produce many results on the internet, hopefully, since he hadn't been that great or done anything amazing in his life. Hikaru felt so traitorous thinking along those lines, but it was true, he had to tell himself. Okay, so they'd need to look at family registry to get any information on Hikaru, and regular citizens weren't allowed to look at anyone else's koseki without permission. And why would they be looking for him anyway? Who would exert so much effort to find him? No one. Hikaru wasn't sure why the thought made him disappointed instead of relieved.

Who cared if they found him anyway? Why did he bother worrying about that, just because Sai put the concerns in his head? Well, now he only had to worry about getting home in time.

* * *

Notes: I must say that you can't expect regular updates anymore. Next time I write a story, I'll have it all written out first _and then_ post it. But if you want to encourage me, please leave a review. Or if you had some kind of beef with me. Also, I changed the rating to M at the suggestion of a reviewer. So I hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: You didn't even have to wait a week! I had my first exam today and my first paper due earlier this week, so to celebrate, I thought I'd write this chapter. Thank you all for your support, understanding, and taking the time to read and review! About this chapter, it's shorter than the others, I hope you don't mind.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

Hikaru landed on his side, skinning the arm with the rolled up sleeve as he pulled it up to protect his face.

"When I say get home on time, I mean it! Think about that the next time you decide to come home late." The man was standing between Hikaru and his home, a menacing figure whom, at the moment, Hikaru wanted dead.

He pushed himself up to a sitting position. "You never set a time!" Hikaru argued back. He realized how _stupid_ a move that was as he saw a shoe heading straight toward his eye. He managed to dodge it in time, only to fall on his butt in the open doorway.

"If you want to live in my house, you abide by my rules!" The door slammed, and Hikaru could hear the locks clicking into place.

Was he just kicked out? Was he just kicked out because he was late?

No, it wasn't even that late. Yeah, darkness had already fallen, but it was barely past ten thirty. Maybe his dad was still mad about his grades—that argument had been half a week ago!—but Hikaru had made it worse tonight. That was probably it, he told himself, all the while berating himself for making a bad day worse. He hit his head with the heel of his hand, thinking to himself, "Stupid, stupid, stupid..."

Hikaru stood up and pulled the sleeve down over his skinned arm. It wasn't bleeding too much, so he figured he didn't have to bandage it. Not that he'd have the materials anyway. Akari always had a first aid kit in her room—Hikaru remembered because he'd been a clumsy kid, and Akari didn't trust Hikaru to care for himself. Funny how he was an expert at taking care of himself now.

The trek to Akari's house wasn't far, but it was tiring since the day had been so incredibly long. Hopefully, he thought, it would be ending soon. But his excitement at seeing the lights on in her bedroom was quickly killed when he saw the shades of other people. Oh. Kids from Haze. He couldn't let them see him like this. He could barely let Akari see him as he was, dirty and exhausted and bleeding.

He kept walking until his feet brought him to the wooden door of her house. The pattern on the wood wasn't intricate, but it was still nice. His fist hovered in front of the door, as he deliberated with himself whether to suffer the embarrassment or wait until they left.

He let his hand fall and reluctantly turned away. Maybe...maybe there was something good in all this? He had the night to himself. It didn't have to be all bad. He could treasure this freedom. Hadn't he been seeking freedom less than a month or two ago? He pasted a hesitant smile on his face and kept trekking. After all, he was a teenager. He was supposed to be out having fun on a Saturday night.

But when rain started falling in buckets and the wind started howling, he wondered what happened to treasuring his time. It wasn't until he was nearly blown backwards that he conceded that he needed to take shelter until the rain stopped. There, a store of some kind! Surely he'd be able to wait out the rain there…

He flipped his hood down as he walked in and took the opportunity to shake his hair free of some of the water. "Hello, are you here to play a game?" a girl at the counter asked him. What? What game? He glanced around and realized the place was filled to the brim with old people playing Go. Dammit, Go? It was everywhere! His whole night was about Go, and he wasn't looking forward to more of it. At least, he told himself, it wasn't as smoky as that other Go salon.

"Uh, no." He justed wanted to get out of the rain for a short while. "Sorry, I just wanted to use a phone…" He knew it was a lame excuse and he knew most establishments wouldn't let people just walk in and use the establishments' phones without paying for something. She was looking at him strangely, so he guessed there was no stalling for him. Hoping woman would just deny him so he could leave without being embarrassed, he turned around. He figured he'd rather brave the winds than stay with all these old people.

"Ano, didn't you want to use this?" the girl called to him. He turned around, and surprise! She was offering him a cell phone. At least he could stay there a short while before he would have to go back out into the rain.

Blushing, Hikaru graciously took the phone. Now to call someone. Akari! He needed to call her anyway and it give him an excuse for needing to use the phone. "Thanks, I'll be quick." He glanced through the glass doors, relieved to see the rain lightening up.

He punched in the numbers anyway, and listened for Akari's voice. "Hello?"

"It's Hikaru."

"Oh, Hikaru! What's up?" Hikaru smiled at the sound of her delighted voice. She was one of the only people who sounded so incredibly happy when he spoke to them. Akari and Sai.

"Nothing much. Hey, what're you doing right now?" He hoped her friends had gone for the night and she was doing nothing or studying. Then Hikaru could just sleep on the couch without interrupting anything.

"Well nothing really." yes! "Just having a sleepover with my friends from Haze." Oh. "Why, you want to join us?" she asked with enthusiasm. She didn't find it awkward to have a boy with all her female friends? It was funny, Hikaru thought, how much he missed her whenever she wasn't around. Whenever he was with her friends, it was as if he were suddenly a second class citizen, allowed to be present only by the grace of Akari.

Hikaru shrugged before he remembered that she wouldn't be able to see him. "Well, I had wanted to hang out, just you and me, you know. Like the old times." To his ears, it sounded desperate, sad, lonely.

He hoped he didn't sound as pathetic to her. "The old times?" she laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. She really did sound happy. "Yeah, let's do that. How does next weekend sound to you? Then at least it won't be raining." Hikaru's face fell but didn't let his expression bleed into his voice.

"Sounds great. Have fun with your friends," Hikaru said. They said their goodbyes easily and he stared down at the cell phone. Sighing, he looked back at the counter and realized that the girl had gone. And he still had her cell phone.

He looked back down at it. He wondered if Sai was doing anything and if it would be strange to ask if he could sleep over at his place. He tried to remember what the number was and, once he remembered the first few, easily punched in the seven numbers through memory. It rang four times before Hikaru was ready to give it up for a lost cause.

"Hello?" a voice answered as Hikaru was about to hang up. It continued without pause, "Akira-kun, what a pleasant surprise." Sai actually sounded more tired that surprised, but Hikaru could still hear the smile in his voice. "You usually don't call. Or is this Koyo?" Akira? Koyo? Who the hell were they?

"Ah, Sai?"

"Hello?…Hikaru, what are you doing on Akira-kun's phone?"

"Who's Akira?"

"…_Toya_ Akira. Never mind. Did you need anything Hikaru?" Oh, he sounded even more tired.

"No, not really," Hikaru said self-consciously. "So uh, what're you doing?" What was he thinking? He knew nothing about Sai. Hikaru only knew that Sai was a Go professional and that he was smart...did he have family? Friends apart from that creepy blonde guy? What on earth drove him to call _Sai_ for help?

"I'm on a train heading back to Tokyo. Why? And how was the tournament?"

"Well, you see I accidentally dialed the wrong number. So bye." Immediately, Hikaru shut the phone off and placed it back on the counter. Well, he thought he could have probably handled that better. The lady still wasn't back yet, so he quickly scanned the counter, looking for something on which to write. Finding a stack of post-it notes, he scribbled a quick thanks and slapped it onto the phone. Hm, maybe the counter lady's name was Akira.

He was about ready to leave when he heard the lazy din of the salon abruptly explode into a roar. Shouts rose and Hikaru wondered how such feeble-looking old people would make such a noise. A large crowd was arguing over a goban, so he curiously made his way over to them and looked down. There was a sheet of kifu off to the side, abandoned after someone had used it to set the board over which everyone was arguing.

"I don't get it," he said simply. What were they fighting about? He picked up the sheets of paper and analyzed them. What an awesome game. Hikaru wondered who played this game, because the level was so much higher than his own. As high as Sai, actually. In fact, the shape of the stones and the strategy of one of the player's was so familiar—

"No, he definitely should have put it there!" one old geezer shouted, pointing a fat wrinkly finger at a crosshair on the goban.

"Are you blind? Black would've been killed in three moves! Should've gone at 5-13!" another old man argued.

An old woman rapped her cane against the men's shins and put her own thoughts in. "No, Toya was right to have resigned!" Again, Toya. Perhaps...Toya Meijin?

Hikaru tore his eyes away from the kifu to look at the goban and wondered why they didn't see the move he was seeing. He picked up a black stone with his left-handed amateur grip and easily placed it in a corner. It was simple, wasn't it? White would be forced to protect and there went the game. He still didn't get why there were arguing when the move was so obvious. Well, maybe not obvious at first, but once he saw it, it was impossible to unsee.

A man shot up from his seat and angrily pointed at Hikaru. "Hey, what do you think you're doing, kid!" Crap, did he mess up again? He had to remind himself not to interfere with other people's business.

"No, look, Kitajima-san," someone said in awe. The people gathered around the goban, marveling at the move that no one had imagined. It took a few seconds for the move to register completely in their minds, but they all gradually realized the magnitude of the move.

"He could have won…Toya Meijin would have won!"

Hikaru shook his head at all the disbelieving old people. He glanced at the time on the borrowed cell phone and bit his lip. It was really getting late, and even though it wasn't too much past eleven o'clock, walking the streets of Tokyo in the dark was pretty dangerous.

"Oi, Kitajima Oji-san, tell the counter lady that I left her cell phone there, okay?" Hikaru tapped the shoulder of one guy. It seemed they were all too busy trying to find flaws in the move that Hikaru put down to notice him. Frustrated, he scribbled another note out and shoved it in the face of that guy, Kitajima, before leaving.

"What? Hey," the old man uncrinkled the paper and read the note, just realizing that the boy who had placed the move was no longer there.

* * *

"Akira-kun, what would have happened if you didn't have money with you?" Ichikawa-san said worriedly, "I had to leave the Go salon unattended, and oh! I left your cell phone there!"

Akira had to fight the temptation to smile. She was scolding him for leaving his phone at the Go salon when she had done the same mere minutes before. "Ogata-sensei was at the tournament too. I could have gotten a ride with him. Or I would have merely walked to the Japan Go Association and used a phone there. The rain's letting up now after all."

"Well, what if—"

"We're here, Ichikawa-san," Akira said politely. He found his phone sitting safely on the counter, even though he remembered leaving it behind the counter where Ichikawa-san would have been standing. There was also a hastily scribbled post-it sticking to the screen which he pocketed to read later. It was probably Ichikawa wanting to have the last word anyway.

"Oh, I lent your phone to a young man who was trying to get out of the rain. Poor thing, it seemed he was all alone tonight. I hope you don't mind," she said. Akira knew that she knew how he would have handled the situation. And she knew he wouldn't mind. So he just nodded and walked over to a gaggle of senior citizens, all marveling silently at a goban.

"What's going on here?" his young yet mature voice intoned.

"Ah, Akira-sensei, look!" a man enthused.

The boy looked down at the board, the shapes that were all too familiar and fascinating for him to ever tear his gaze from. But there, in a previously empty corner, was a comfortable black stone. A stone that could have saved his father's title. Of course, it wasn't his main title; Toya Koyo would always be the Meijin. It was Gosei. And this game was the fifth of five matches, the deciding match.

It was a major upset because Fujiwara Sai had been a mere 5-dan a few months ago. Akira remembered the conversations during that competition. Everyone spoke of how amazing this newcomer, Fujiwara Sai, was. But Sai hadn't been a newcomer, not really. He had simply managed to stay under the radar for years. Akira himself remembered taking the pro test alongside the outsider who had never lost a game and who had no one. Ogata spoke about Fujiwara Sai sometimes when he was feeling particularly annoyed with the man. He remembered the rumors that were floating around when Fujiwara started, about why he was taking the test so late, why he wouldn't take young students, why he was there at all. The same rumors that were still sneakily circulating around the Japan Go Association. Fujiwara Sai had no family, as far as anyone knew, and nothing beyond his Go. However, he didn't seem particularly ambitious. He was comfortable to take any dan level that was given to him; he never went out of his way to take a higher rank. He hadn't even competed for any major tournaments until Gosei, and even then, it was _Gosei_. If there existed a least prestigious title, it would have been that one.

And somehow, some said _miraculously_, he defeated everyone in straight wins to get the right to challenge his father. Fujiwara Sai was automatically promoted to 7-dan. Akira would liked to have thought that his father had been slacking since Gosei wasn't the highest paying title (in fact it was the lowest-paying one) and therefore less important, but he knew his father too well. The man played every game to the best of his ability. Toya Koyo never slacked off.

And so, to see a possible avenue, wait, not even possible, but certain! To see that certain victory was found by someone in this Go salon astounded him. "Who was it? Who put the stone down!" No one here was capable of that kind of foresight or understanding. He knew them all well, and though he'd never get cocky, he knew well their abilities or lack thereof.

"I have no idea, Akira-sensei, some kid." Some kid? Another frightening rival, perhaps? "Here's the note he left."

A note? How fortuitous! He crushed the urge to just snatch the paper away from Kitajima-san and gazed reverently at the paper. Whoever had put that stone down must have been a professional or a very advanced amateur. Who? Everyone he knew, apart from Ogata-san, stayed put on Saturday nights, and even he had gone straight home after the Children's Tournament. Looking at the strokes of the pen, he was certain none of them had such illegible handwriting.

_"If you missed it, the phone's on the counter. Again, thanks for letting me use it. :p" _

That was it? Akira pulled out the other post-it note from his pocket, wondering what more it could tell him about the mysterious stranger.

_"Thanks for letting me use the phone. I'll come back some time. (~_^)"_

What kind of person was this? Not even signed. And so immature too! What professional used emoticons? In writing? Well, people would have recognized all of the good professionals. It must have been a not-so-famous professional, an insei, or a really good amateur who hadn't turned pro yet.

But who?

He walked back up to the counter and eagerly placed both hands on the top. "You don't remember him, Ishikawa-san?" he pleaded. Such a strength existed out there, and he didn't know who it was!

"Him?"

"The guy who borrowed my phone!" Akira didn't mean to be so demanding. He was usually demure and calm, but this, this excited him. They said he was young too, not one of the older men, not even Fujiwara Sai's age. A teenager with such ability. Even if it was a fluke, Akira had to meet him. "What did he look like?"

"Well," Ishikawa-san tapped a pen on the desk thoughtfully. "I think he was brunette or black-haired, I'm not sure. He was soaking wet, though. I'm sorry, Akira-kun. I'll stop and get his name if he does come back, okay?"

It was the only thing they could do after all. Wait for whoever this stranger was. Wait.

Akira was a professional go player, and professionals were masters at waiting, plotting, strategizing. He knew he could wait an eternity if that was how long it would take to find the mysterious player.

* * *

Note: So I figure some of you are wondering why everything's happening all at once. All I can say is that it's necessary. Also, it heightens the drama. I guess. Like you know, in Oedipus when everything falls apart in one day. I hope you enjoyed, and if you didn't, I welcome you to explain why. And if you did, then I also welcome you to explain. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: Thank you to all who read and reviewed. I hope you all realize how much your support means to me. More important note at the end of the chapter.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

On Sunday mornings, Sai liked to take walks. And today he would definitely need a walk since the night before had been a whole slew of things not good.

But a little good.

It was complicated.

He was supposed to have been on the train ride back to Tokyo from Furano right after his last booth, but the people there had been so very eager about Go, and Sai could not have left without helping them or giving them the advice they needed. Of course, there were flights that took less than two hours, but the Japan Go Association had not the funds for airplane fare when Sai could just take a train. It had taken fifteen hours, maybe sixteen. It ought to have taken twelve. Ideally. But Sai had fallen asleep and had missed not one, but _two _of his four transfers. He had completely missed the Children's Tournament, even though he had received a formal request—in the form of a text message—to stop by once he arrived. Who knew Koyo had such proficiency with a cell phone? He crawled into his apartment well past midnight to find a message from Seiji. He had sent Sai an email about a strange boy who had crashed the Children's Tournament.

"It was a brilliant move," Ogata had written, "but even more brilliant was that the teenager had taken no more than a second or two to see it."

Sai was almost certain it was Hikaru, since often the boy could not keep his mouth shut, seemed to match the description, and Ogata had mentioned a Shindo Heihachi, the boy's apparent teacher and grandfather. Then there was that strange call Hikaru had made from Toya Akira's cell phone… So when he woke up this morning, he decided he would need a very long walk, just so that he could think. Sometimes he would walk along the riverbank, and other times he would even walk through the family owned marketplace. This morning, however, he was drawn to the park. He was not sure why he started down that path, but the sun was shining gloriously and the chill air was refreshing, so his mind pushed the 'why' away in favor of enjoying nature.

He walked past joggers and people with dogs. He loved dogs, since the ones at the park were almost always happy-looking. He would pat them on their heads and nod to their owners as he kept walking. There were flowers along the pathway too, not just grass, so the walk was never monotonous. The common sights were trees, the occasional child, a homeless person…

Oh dear, Sai thought as he halted. He always felt extraordinarily sad when confronted with the homeless. It had not been too long ago that he himself had no home, so he walked over to the bench and approached what looked to be a boy curled up into the back of it. That was sadder, he thought. Children were supposed to have homes. Loving homes and caring families.

It was daylight already, and surely the police would come to chase him away if they saw such a sight. Sai nudged him, but it did nothing. He nudged him again, poked him, but the boy would not stir. Finally, he pulled the boy's shoulder so that he was face-up with his back on the bench.

"Hikaru?"

What was Hikaru doing being homeless?

"You are homeless?" Sai asked, kneeling down then standing up then going to the foot of the bench then going back to where he had been before to sitting cross-legged on the grass with his arms supporting him as he leaned forward.

"What? 'Course not, Sai," Hikaru said with a stretch. The boy seemed to stretch for an awfully long time. "I was gonna go for a run and decided I was crazy to want to exercise so early, and took a nap." He yawned and bothered not to cover his mouth.

Sai released a breath. He often jumped to ridiculous conclusions, so he was happy that he was completely wrong this time.

"For such a genius, you sure are clueless," Hikaru commented as he stood, his back popping as he continued to stretch. How long had the boy been sleeping anyway? The sun was not quite high in the sky, but neither was it low. His face was paler than normal, and he had bags under his eyes that spoke of a restless sleep. Perhaps he had had a bad night's rest and decided to run it off before he realized just how tired he was. Yes, that sounded like a plausible explanation. However, it still did not sit right with him.

"You are so mean, Hikaru," Sai pouted. "I was concerned." He waited for Hikaru to look back at him before he pounced with his questions about last night. Which would have stewed until Monday, but today was just as good.

"How was the tournament?"

"Boring."

"That was all?" Sai wondered. From what he heard, it was not at all boring. "Really? I heard some interesting gossip about it…"

Hikaru looked down at him, and Sai wondered what that troubled look in his eye meant. "About that...I'm sorry, I just can't control my mouth."

Sai was not accustomed to quick apologies from Hikaru. For as long as he had known him, which was really just a few months, Hikaru had been unapologetically direct and obnoxious. He must have been really tired. "Sorry? Although you ought to be, I am still amazed at your progress!"

Hikaru plopped down beside him on the grass but would not look him in the eye. The boy fiddled with the green blades of grass, occasionally breaking some off and folding them between his thumbs. "Don't know what progress you're talking about. I've only made the one A on a test and a few quizzes, and I have that Trig test that we need to work on…"

"No, not that progress. Yes, I have seen you improve greatly academically since our first study session, but I am talking about Go! My good friend told me about an impressive observer. He did complain about how he never got a name from the boy, but he did have a detailed description of the boy's hair and attire. And his grandfather's name." Sai eyed his student and realized that Hikaru was wearing the clothing of Seiji's enigma. Of course he knew the instant he read the email that the mysterious indiscriminate commentator had been Hikaru (who else had green eyes and an inability to keep his mouth closed?), but it still struck him as odd that Hikaru was wearing the same clothing that he apparently wore yesterday.

Now that he considered it, he asked aloud, "Do you often exercise wearing long sleeves and such a puffy vest? You are wearing three layers." It was one of those wintry vests, the kind often stuffed with down or some other warm material. Beneath that was a sweater, not nearly as thick as the vest but definitely warm, and probably a tee-shirt underneath all of it. Although it was still winter (barely), Sai did not think people often worked out wearing such things.

"It's cold!" Hikaru protested, hugging the vest closer to himself.

"And yet you are also wearing shorts?" What a strange combination for a morning run. Or perhaps it was normal for other people.

Hikaru finally glanced at him. "What're you getting at?" he asked defensively. Sai was not sure if the boy's tone was tired or annoyed. He hoped the tone was annoyed, because Sai was not accustomed to a weary Hikaru. He wanted the feisty but happy teenager back.

"Did you not take a shower between last night and this morning?" Sai finally asked. And really, he realized he need not have ask. The boy's hair was a mess, though he had thought nothing of it at first. And his shoes were covered in mud. He probably never bothered to clean those either.

"Oh Hikaru," Sai smiled as he finally took a seat on the bench so he could watch the runners pass them by. "You are going to be an adult soon and you are still such a child!" he laughed.

Hikaru joined him on the bench and snorted. "Yeah, like you're any better?" Hikaru clasped his hands together and with a pout, pleaded to an invisible person. "'Oh please, Hikaru, just one more game? Pretty please with candy and sugar and a ten-stone handicap cherry on top?'"

"I do not sound like that!" Sai said, playfully indignant. "What about you? 'Hey Sai, let's take a nap on our books and maybe our brains'll soak it up.'"

Hikaru blushed. "It sounded like a good idea at the time." Sai remembered it well. Hikaru, ever cheerful Hikaru, had been absolutely wiped out. Baggy eyes, nodding head, everything. Sai had almost suggested he go back home to sleep instead of study, but worried that the boy would pass out on the way home.

"Oh, it was," Sai answered honestly. "The nap did you good. You would not have learned anything if you were sleep-deprived." Sai patted him on the head, an action that surprised Sai himself. He thought he would interrogate Hikaru more about the events of yesterday night, but something told him to hold off on that until after he had done his part of the deal. "Hikaru, did you want to go over Trigonometry today?"

"But we kind of have to study at the Association."

* * *

Ogata really wasn't one to listen at doors.

Well, that's what he thought of himself before he heard the younger Toya telling the Meijin quite an interesting story. He had dropped off a few things, mostly having to do with yesterday's tournament, and was eager to speak with Toya Meijin about the boy they had met the night before. But then he stumbled upon the closed door. It was a traditional shogi door, no sound insulation whatsoever. If they really wanted to have a private conversation, they would have left the doors open so that they could see if anyone was around, Ogata reasoned.

"The note he left was immature, childish," he heard the younger Toya say in a soft voice, "He was the one who made this move."

Ogata wondered what that move could have been. It must have been impressive, if Toya Akira deemed it worthy enough to bring to his father's attention.

"Impressive," the Meijin said in subdued wonder. "Are you sure the boy had never before seen this game?"

"No way to be sure," Akira admitted.

Was it so incredible? Was it possible that two separate, fearsome players made their debuts on the same night? Hardly. Ogata suspected that Meijin thought the same. He couldn't lurk there for too much longer, so he rapped his knuckles against the wood of the traditional sliding doors.

"Come in," called Toya Meijin. Ogata let himself in and glanced at the board. Ah, this one. The Gosei title match between Fujiwara Sai and Toya Meijin. The very last match, too. He remembered how weird it was to have his relatively unknown friend become the center of everyone's curiosity. He would've been jealous of the sudden attention if Sai hadn't been so overwhelmed by it. This match had launched Fujiwara Sai into the public eye, and it seemed the man was still trying to retreat back into anonymity.

"I left the papers on your desk." Making a show of looking concernedly at the goban, he bent over it. "What is this?" Ogata asked, though he already knew quite well.

Toya Meijin swept his arm above the board. "Since you're still here, can you spot the move that could have saved me?"

Such a move existed? Admittedly, Ogata had never _pored _over this game, never concerned himself with it, but he had seen it played out many times. He knelt down beside the goban and scanned the patterns. He knew it well enough, but would he be able to pick out one move from the many stones laid down?

But there, in the corner. "I...see. And you, did you never see it?" Ogata wondered.

"I had, eventually, but quite some time after the game ended," the Meijin said. "Akira, what did the people say about this boy?" Toya Meijin probably had the same thought as Ogata concerning the mystery boy.

Akira seemed to think deeply, taking out his cell phone. Addressing his father, he said thoughtfully, "Kitajima-san said that he glanced at the board—" Ogata sucked in a breath "—and placed down a stone." That sounded much too like the boy at the Children's Tournament. But the teenager had stressed that he needed to get home on time. Why would he stop at a Go salon of all places? Well, brats lie all the time, Ogata reasoned. These boys could easily be one person. One strange, talented person.

"And you never got a name?" Toya Meijin asked. Akira shook his head and answered verbally, "No. Ichikawa-san thought it strange though that he was there at all. She said he didn't look particularly enthusiastic about Go." Again, that sounded like the boy. Except that the boy at the tournament seemed intrigued at the Meijin's game, enough to distract him from the time and whatever urgent errand he had. He just seemed unenthusiastic at being caught playing Go. Was this boy at Toya's salon the same?

"No hints, nothing?" Ogata asked him. Akira was glancing from his phone to his father, and Ogata sensed that he was no longer welcome in this conversation. There was something that the teenager wanted only his father to hear.

"Well, if that's all," Ogata stood and bowed to the Meijin. "As I said, I left the files on your desk, as well as the papers that I've already finished." Toya Meijin nodded to him, and Ogata took that as his dismissal. Although they were both adults, professionals, and essentially equal, Ogata still deferred to the man since he had been his teacher. He closed the shoji door behind him and started walking slowly toward the exit.

But some words caught his ear, and Ogata once again found himself listening at the door.

"Ichikawa-san also said that he used my phone," Akira said with a purposefully soft voice. "Whoever this boy was made two calls." Apparently the urge to get this information to the Meijin was greater than the risk of having others hear. Otherwise, Akira would have opened the door. Or perhaps they just trusted Ogata.

"Why is it that we had to send Ogata-san from the room for you to say this?" Toya Meijin asked. Ogata was also curious.

"One was made to a stranger," Akira said, his voice even softer. Ogata had to strain to hear him.

"And?"

"The other," Akira's voice might as well have been a whisper, "to Fujiwara Sai."

Silence was all that Ogata could hear. He became hyper aware of the lack of noise, and was startled when the Meijin's deep voice intoned, "Well, that was prudent of you, then." Prudent? What was prudent about it? "It is well known that Ogata-san and Fujiwara-san are friends. So we can assume either he knows Fujiwara-san, or he accidentally accessed the address book in your cell phone."

"That's the thing, though," Akira said still quietly, "I don't have any numbers in my address book."

Ogata almost slapped a hand to his forehead. Why hadn't he seen this before? An amazing player, a teenage boy with ability to play Go but without the drive...it sounded exactly like Sai's prodigy. Ogata had been the one to remind Sai of the Children's Tournament and remembered that Sai had that mischievous look on his face—yes, Ogata should have seen this. Well, now he had all his answers, didn't he? He could now understand why the boy was reluctant to say who his teacher was. Ogata was suddenly thankful to this stranger, thankful that this teenager would risk so much just to keep Sai's confidence. Perhaps he wasn't the brat Ogata thought he was.

"It is a bit troubling that Fujiwara Sai is hanging around this young boy," the Meijin said. Ogata froze. He had completely forgotten what this could mean for Sai. It was too dangerous, this association. Did they know anything of Sai's prodigy? Had they ever seen Sai and the boy together at the Go Association?

"Do you mean because of what the other professionals are saying—"

"Akira, pay no attention to idle gossip," the Meijin softly rebuked him. "Perhaps we should just let things play out first. No need to cause Fujiwara-san any trouble when there is no proof."

Ogata was thankful for Sai's magnetic personality. No one would wish harm on the innocent man, even his most ardent rivals.

* * *

"Oh? Why not just go home and get your things?" Sai asked without suspicion.

"Yeah…" Was he welcome home yet? He didn't want to chance it. "I left most of my things at school, actually," he lied. Sai looked none the wiser, and Hikaru breathed a sigh of relief.

It was when they were sneaking through the back alley of the Japan Go Association that Hikaru remembered a question that kept popping up in his mind yesterday. "Hey Sai, why were you so adamant about people not knowing that you were teaching me Go?"

Sai hesitated in unlocking the back door. "It is best that you do not have too much contact with the other professionals here," he said evasively. What did that mean? He sent Sai an incredulous frown and the man paused. "They would not approve of Fujiwara Sai teaching you."

"Why not?"

He ushered Hikaru into the building and closed the door behind them. The hallway was white and kind of ugly, but Hikaru was used to it by now. He poked Sai, urging him to answer. The man walked up the two flights that led to the 'offices'. "I do not take many students. Many young students, especially young men like yourself."

"Oh," he said in understanding. So that was it. People would wonder why Hikaru was so special, especially since he didn't look the type. He'd seen the insei at the Go Association, and he would stick out like a blond among brunettes. Some people said that he had the unfortunate disability of not being able to blend in. Personally, Hikaru took it as a compliment.

The Japan Go Association wasn't quite neutral territory, but it was the most secure, _almost_ neutral place to study. Sai had something of an office there, but it wasn't quite an office since apparently the Association didn't really have offices for every single professional. "It's a renovated closet," Sai once said. It didn't look like one, what with the lilac sponge-painted walls and the pot of orchids. There was even a decent-sized desk and three comfortable chairs. No computer, no phone, but there was a water boiler for Sai's tea.

And it was convenient, since they had kept some of their study materials there for the days that Hikaru didn't want to bring everything in his backpack. Or when he didn't have it. Like today. Thankfully, Sai didn't see anything strange about it most of the time.

Their study session was probably almost finished for the day anyway. They'd been at it for hours, with only breaks for lunch and dinner at the nearby ramen restaurant. Sai said how amazed he was at Hikaru's concentration. Honestly, Hikaru was ready to go home and sleep. The night before, he'd tried to sneak back into the house, but every single door was locked. Weary, Hikaru remembered walking to the park and wondering what he had done wrong in a previous life that this one sucked so much. He couldn't even remember falling asleep on the bench, he had been so tired.

"Hikaru, let us just play _one_ game, ne?" Sai asked with an eager smile, once he had laid down his pen. He leaned forward over the table to peer at him, waiting for an answer. Hikaru paused mid-writing to look up. What time was it? He needed to be home on time.

Was he even welcome home?

He wished that he would never have to worry about something like that again. The thought that he might not have a home anymore chilled him. "Oh, uh I don't really know." His dad's expectations were random, and Hikaru had no pattern to go by most of the time. "But I got home late last night, so I guess I better get back earlier today..." He was both frightened and anxious about returning home.

"Just one game, Hikaru!" Sai begged like a child asking for ice cream.

"No, seriously. I need to get some sleep." In a bed. With blankets. And a heater.

Sai pouted. "It is not even that late! You have stayed far later than this before. One game, please? Or we could talk about whatever happened last night at the Children's Go Tournament."

Yeah, Hikaru wanted to argue, but he only stayed late when his dad was off doing business in another country! "Nothing really happened at the tournament," he said instead. "And I thought I did my part by going to that stupid thing anyway."

"Yes, and I have done my part by preparing your for your test. But it is one game, hm? As friends?"

That stopped Hikaru in his tracks. Were they friends? Since when did they go from strangers to...friends? "Friends?" he said with a derisive snort. "Really?" At Sai's vigorous nod, Hikaru stood up. "Sai, friends don't blackmail each other." Which is what Sai had done to get him to go to the stupid tournament in the first place. It hadn't occurred to him as such, but it was true. Sai was like every other adult, really. They blackmailed and snuck around and hit him when he wasn't ready.

"Yes, well, friends do not _use_ each other either," Sai said bitterly. The tone was so foreign coming from the usually amicable man that Hikaru had to take a step back.

"Use?" Hikaru asked, wondering where Sai came up with that. "Since when did I use you?"

"For your revenge against that boy against whom you were gambling! Of course, there were your history tests and quizzes—"

"That was our deal, Sai!" Hikaru shouted. This was ridiculous. He was feeling some kind of panicked anger rise up within him. When had they ever cemented this so-called friendship? Sai was only his tutor and nothing else. "It was a deal, not a friendship!" And even if Sai wanted to be his 'friend,' he was certainly doing a terrible job of it.

"And the Go? The Go was nothing as well?" Sai asked, his voice more bitter than a pill dissolved on the tongue.

Well, what could he say? The Go...wasn't _nothing_, but nor could he say it was _something. _Why did Sai have to ask all the hard questions?

"Hikaru? Did you not enjoy yourself?" Now he just sounded...desperate. Beseeching.

Hikaru couldn't. He really couldn't. Already, his mother had noticed that he was attracted to the game. Everything had started to go wrong when he displayed the smallest bit of honest interest in the game. What would happen if he continued? If his father found out? He shivered at the thought. He couldn't keep going like this. Being with Sai was just a bad idea. "I...I gotta go. Don't expect to see me again."

* * *

Note: I hate to leave you guys with this, but sometimes things just happen this way. I've had at least one essay due every week since the third week of school, and it's going to continue that way until...well, I'm not sure, but it seems like until the semester's over. So I want to give a warning that an update within the week is not likely. In fact, it is extremely unlikely to happen in the coming two weeks. Because one, I'll be swamped, and two, I have some problems with the outline I have now, and I might have to scrap it and make a better one. So. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review!


	8. Chapter 8

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: You readers and reviewers are the ones who encourage me to keep going. Thank you so, so, so much. I promised this would be up by the end of the month, and here it is. A Halloween present, if you will. Enjoy!  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

The one thing that Ogata knew was that he was going to find the little brat. Now, as to what he'd do to him, he wasn't yet sure. Maybe he could string him up by his thumbs. Too harsh, not to mention illegal. Tell the girls at his school he had a venereal disease? Or perhaps he'd ensure that the boy would never get into college. All he knew was that it was that brat's fault, and he'd make the brat pay.

_He_ was the reason why a sniffling Fujiwara Sai was huddled with a mug of hot chocolate on Ogata's couch. The man was curled up with his long hair in disarray, some of it falling into his mug and some of it draped everywhere else. Carefully, Ogata pulled the strands away from the mug and offered him a tissue. Which Sai eagerly blew his snot into. Yuck.

"Care to explain more?" Ogata asked as he dropped the wet tissue into the garbage can. He had understood the gist of it, but between cries of "Hikaru hates me," and "It is all my fault," there really wasn't a coherent storyline. Frankly, he knew that it couldn't have been entirely Sai's fault. The man had no malicious bone in his body, and anyone who wouldn't forgive Sai for whatever wrong he had (probably accidentally) committed must have been heartless.

"Hic, no." Great, now the sobs had trickled down enough that he was intelligible but hiccoughing.

Ogata lowered himself into an armchair. No way was he joining the highly emotional Sai on the couch. Not when he had a hot mug in his shaky hands and the external awareness of a rock. "Fujiwara," he tried. The man simply sipped at the hot chocolate and in one swift motion, swiped the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped himself in it.

"Sai," he tried instead.

"...Seiji."

Sai always responded better to first names. "What happened?" He would have liked to know what exactly put Sai in this pathetic position. Or better yet, what caused Sai to call him to the Japan Go Association on the weekend.

"I did it. I should not have done anything. Poor Hikaru."

Dammit, that Hikaru. Ogata couldn't even remember what the boy looked like apart from the general impression he got of an unkempt, slovenly teenager. One who had some talent in Go, Ogata had to remind himself.

"B-but I thought we were closer, Seiji. I called us 'friends'," Sai said with another hiccough. He took another sip and sniffled. If he kept doing that, his mucus would drip into his drink…

"Yes, and then what happened?" Ogata asked, going to the kitchen area to get a box of tissues.

"He said, he said it was just a deal," Sai choked and buried his head in the blanket. Ogata came back to the couch, tissue box in hand. He dropped it onto the coffee table and took his seat. Despite the muffling of the fabric, he could still hear Sai's wails. "It was a deal! He said it was not a friendship. Oh Seiji, what have I done?"

From what he heard, it seemed that the boy had been in the wrong. He probably didn't need to be so harsh, since it was obvious that Sai had misinterpreted their relationship. "You've done nothing wrong, Fujiwara. Relax. That brat is at fault."

Sai vigorously shook his head, spilling some of the chocolate on Ogata's leather couch. "No, no! Seiji, I _blackmailed _him. I cannot believe how I misjudged everything. I should not have done that, oh I should have done something else. Or nothing at all!"

This was new. Blackmail? Fujiwara Sai? Ogata hardly thought the man capable of something so sinister as blackmail. Sai was an innocent. "How so?" Though there was the possibility that Sai was overreacting; he did that often.

"I cannot tell. If I told him not to tell and I told you, then I would be a hypocrite. I would be a hypocrite and a blackmailer!"

Ogata let his head fall into his hands. This approach wasn't going to work. If he wanted to get the grown man to stop crying, he had to—dare he think it—comfort him. "There, there," he said awkwardly patting Sai on the back. Ogata wasn't cut out for this. That's why he never had a girlfriend for long and kept an aquarium rather than a cat or dog.

Best to think along Sai's train of thought. "Then you ought to apologize." Ogata really didn't think there was anything for which Sai had to apologize. He doubted that the man-child's sins against this inconsiderate 'Hikaru' were apology-worthy.

"I would like to. However, he said not to expect to see him again." The sniffling had subsided for the most part, and the blanket wasn't wrapped so tightly anymore. Ogata took them as positive signs.

"Alright. He might have said that, but you know how teenagers are. They always say things they don't mean."

"Not Hikaru."

What was so special about this kid? From Sai's description, he'd think the brat was the second coming of Christ. "Fujiwara, calm down. Drink some of that hot chocolate, alright?" Maybe if he'd drink more instead of cry, Sai would be calm enough to speak more freely.

"It tastes minty. And it's weird on the way down," he observed, swishing the liquid in his mug. "What did you put in here, Seiji?"

Well, he couldn't really answer that, could he? "Sai, whatever you did, you did because you cared about him, right?" he asked, ignoring Sai's inquiry about the hot chocolate.

"Of course!" Sai declared, almost forgetting he had a hot drink in hand. "I just wanted him to be happier, to see that he was not alone."

Here, now he was getting to the heart of the problem. "And what exactly did you do?"

"Nope, cannot tell!"

The man was five years old! And possibly a smidge drunk.

Ogata took a steadying breath and joined Sai on the couch. The distance between them was not helping this conversation. "You'll get over it, Sai. You will." Sai sniffled, and put the mug on the coffee table.

"I do not want to get over it."

"That's what you said about that other guy."

"And yet I have not gotten over him either."

Well, there was nothing Ogata could do about that. "This was a bad idea from the beginning anyway. To think that you brought him to the Japan Go Association so many times-"

"I brought him through the front once, and only so that you could meet him. You did not see a problem then."

"I thought it was a fling. Really, your story was so fantastic that I didn't think anything of substance would come from it. Didn't you think of the consequences, of how that would look?" It didn't occur to Ogata that lecturing the already emotionally unstable Sai was a bad idea until the man had thrown the blanket over his head and clumsily but speedily scurried into Ogata's bedroom.

"Fujiwara!" he called. This was irritating. He walked over to his bedroom door and laid his hand on the knob, only to find that it wouldn't turn. "Fujiwara, open this door at once!"

Silence.

"Okay, Fujiwara, I'm going to count to three." He put his ear on the door to hear if there was a change. "One…" Was that rustling? "Two…"

Slowly, the door creaked open, and Ogata peered into the crack to see him. "Okay, Sai, forget I said anything. Come back to the sitting area, and we can have a mature conversation. Yes?"

"No." The door slammed. "Hikaru hates me!"

Ogata wouldn't get anything useful out of Sai tonight. Peppermint schnapps, never again.

* * *

It had scared him when Sai called them friends. What kind of adult befriended a fifteen-year old? Hikaru had to redefine his definition of an adult. Sai was hardly one of them, but he was still o_ld_. Every word of Hikaru's accusation had been true. _True._ But perhaps he overreacted, he conceded. Every pent up thought, every emotion that Hikaru had hidden behind his cheery mask had been unleashed at Sai. Oh, undeserving Sai. The man must hate him now.

Finally standing before the house, he observed the darkened domicile. The blinds were shut, curtains closed, and even the porch light was dead. Hikaru approached the door with some apprehension. He couldn't see a thing past the glass. Would it be locked? Unlocked? Were they even there? What was waiting behind the wood? Welcoming arms or a fist? His left hand hovered over the knob, and he couldn't bear to let it drop. What if it was locked, he panicked. Would he ring the bell to summon his father's wrath upon himself? What if he was truly homeless? He had been avoiding the issue all day, and now it came to this.

One turn of the wrist. That was all it would take to determine whether his parents were allowing him entrance. His hand fell upon the knob, and he turned it as far as it would go. Which wasn't very far at all. Hikaru bit his lip. This couldn't be it. He put both hands on the doorknob and twisted, ignoring the pain blossoming up his right arm.

"Hikaru?" he heard a soft voice murmur from behind the wood and glass. He let go of the knob and looked through the foggy glass of the front door, hoping to see a relieved smile, or a cursory glance, or _something_.

He heard the click of the door being unlocked.

"Hikaru," his father said as the door opened wide. He looked up in fear at the man and flinched when two arms wrapped around him, squeezing him, but...comforting him? _His father_. "I'm sorry, Hikaru," The man's words were said in a whisper, but Hikaru, with his head comfortably leaning on his father's chest, could hear them perfectly. This was nice, he thought. How things used to be.

"S'okay, dad. I won't be home late ever again, I swear."

"You do know that it was your own fault, right?" he asked, embracing Hikaru in his warm arms.

"Yeah, it was," Hikaru echoed him.

The man ended the embrace to gently pull the teenager into the house. "You know we only want you home on time for your safety," his dad said as all dads would. This was why he could never hate the man. Because he said things like this, and Hikaru couldn't bear to think them lies. _And you hit me. For my own safety?_

"Course I know that," Hikaru whispered. Did he? Did he really? Hikaru didn't want to doubt the man's words, but experience had taught him that parental care was transient. So he drank in the affection, cherished it, hoarded it in his mind so that when a dry spell came, and he knew it would, he could remember this.

"I cooked some ramen." his dad said happily as he used to. Before Hikaru had screwed everything up. "You hungry?"

Hikaru still loved his father. And even though he had eaten with Sai, he could still say truthfully, "Starving."

* * *

Ogata hoped his apartment was still okay. He hadn't put much thought into the decision to let Sai stay there, but when he had a puffy-eyed, hungover Go prodigy in his bedroom, he hadn't had much choice. Hopefully, Sai had come out to eat...maybe the man had already left. That was the best outcome, he thought. Maybe Sai had gone home. Yes, that would be absolutely perfect.

He held onto that hope when he let himself into the apartment, and his face fell when he saw Sai sitting on the couch and watching the television. Ogata glanced over to the screen and grew worried. How long had Sai been watching infomercials? "Fujiwara," he called.

The man blearily looked up at him, his eyes still red and his entire appearance unkempt. "Seiji. You came back." Was Sai worried about that? That Ogata wouldn't come back?

"Of course," he easily dismissed Sai's concern, "I live here."

"Of course," Sai echoed.

Not this again, Ogata complained to himself. He remembered when he had to help Sai over his first heartbreak. Sai didn't attach himself to too many people, but when he did, he stuck fast. There was no letting go on his side, and Ogata knew it well.

It had only been a day, and he doubted that it had been long enough to get the younger man moving. "You should talk to him at least."

"No."

"Don't be the stubborn one, Fujiwara! He's immature and won't hurt his pride to talk to you. You must be the one to move first." Ogata hardly wanted some punk kid hanging around Sai, but there wasn't much he could do. Sai was hurting because of this boy, but this time, they could do something about it.

"He hates me."

They weren't going to get anywhere until Sai knew that Ogata knew about everything. That the three boys were one in the same. Should he just come out with it? Or let Sai admit it himself? "Toya Akira was telling me about a strange boy who came into his salon yesterday. There are others in his generation who will be impressive."

"I do not care. I wish Hikaru would speak to me."

Ogata rolled his eyes. "It's been a day. He's probably trying to get over this as you are." He guided the conversation over to what he wanted to discuss. "Anyway, I was thinking this boy might be the same as the one who interrupted the children's tournament, though Toya doesn't agree."

That caught Sai's interest. Good. His eyes flickered over to Ogata and then back to the screen. "Why do you think he is the same person?"

"Well, they seemed to be wearing the same clothing. And what are the chances of two anonymous Go prodigies showing up in one night?" A small smile flittered across Sai's features, and Ogata only took it as tacit confirmation of his suspicions. "And you know what else is interesting?"

Sai nodded eagerly, but never caught Ogata's eye.

"They were both left-handed. Couldn't handle stones very well. They were both dark-haired, and they both had green eyes. How common is that, green eyes? Hardly a coincidence, don't you think?" Judging from Sai's sudden interest, Ogata was sure that the three boys shared one identity.

"Hardly," Sai repeated him.

Ogata couldn't keep being subtle. He needed to be more outright. "Fujiwara, is your student left-handed?"

Sai snapped his attention toward Ogata. "What? You think my student is the same student at the Children's Tournament and in Toya's salon?"

Ogata dared him to deny it.

"For one, Hikaru is right handed, and he knows how to hold stones. Also, did you not see his bright blond bangs?" Sai laughed a little. He was relaxed, and nothing sounded like a mistruth. Solid facts they might've been, but so too were the indisputable facts Ogata had gathered in his mind. The boy at Toya's salon knew Sai's cell phone number somehow. The boy at the tournament was wearing exactly what the boy at Toya's salon was wearing. Brown hair could easily be explained through hair dye, and the boy had a hood on anyway. However, Ogata did wonder at the boy's awkward display of dexterity, or lack thereof. He seemed naturally inclined to use his left for everything, but used it badly. Was his other arm incapacitated?

"Has your student suffered from any accidents lately?" Ogata hypothesized aloud. "Perhaps to his right hand?" He looked to the man to gauge his reaction. He knew Sai was unaccustomed to lying and would never endorse it. Would Sai lie to him? He had already artfully avoided Ogata's previous question. Would he be able to do the same now?

"…"

"Because considering this accident," Ogata continued, "one wonders why he was so adamant about getting home on time. Doesn't it strike you as odd?" Perhaps appealing to Sai's compassionate side would have him talking. Surely he was concerned, now that Ogata was showing him the danger. A boy hiding his injuries, a jumpy teenager who naturally distrusted adults and had the look of fear Ogata had only seen on others like the boy.

"Not at all." Or maybe Sai was just that oblivious.

Of course, the man was an innocent. Despite his shadier life experiences, Sai seemed to know nothing about how the world worked and the hazards of life. He honestly thought there was no danger? Ogata wasn't completely sure about his own hypothesis, but he at least expected Sai to jump to conclusions as the man often did. Except this time, the conclusion at which Ogata wanted him to arrive was something outside of the man's knowledge.

Well, best leave that aside for now, he figured. They would eventually come back to it. "Fujiwara, I'm going to get straight to the point. I know the boy is your student, and all I want to know now is what happened so that we can fix it and you can go back to your own apartment."

The man's lips tightened, and Ogata wasn't sure how to convince him to speak. "I still think you are probably overreacting, but if you really did do something," Ogata rolled his eyes, "then maybe I can help you settle the issue with...Hikaru." Ogata had to stop himself from calling him a brat. "You most likely just need to talk it out."

"I-I do not know anything," Sai said as if in confession.

What the hell did that mean? "What do you mean, Sai?"

"I know not his school, or his address, his cell phone number, anything. My memory and a name are all I have."

Ogata swiveled his leather chair around so he could sit in it. Sai hovered behind him as he opened the internet browser. "Good enough. I'll help you find him."

* * *

Hikaru missed Sai. He didn't want to admit it, but he really, _really_ missed Sai. He missed the stones and the goban and the challenge and the excitement…

He considered calling him again. Or showing up at the Japan Go Association. Oh, but Sai had seemed just as hurt that night, and Hikaru couldn't bear talking to him again if he would only be rebuffed by angry words.

But it was Sai. How angry could he get? Hikaru had never seen an angry Sai, but the thought of one frightened him. Sai, the ever graceful man who seemed too far above this world. Sai, like a ghost appearing and disappearing from his life: there one second, and gone the next. An ephemeral comfort.

Could Hikaru face his mistake? Sure, what he had said had some truth, but he didn't really believe it. Not at all. Of course they were friends, right? Well, maybe not anymore. Had Hikaru screwed everything up?

"Hikaru?"

He glanced at the door. "It's open," he called back. The man looked weary, tired.

"Let's go," he said gruffly. Immediately, Hikaru was on edge. What happened?

"Go where?" he asked warily.

"We're visiting your grandfather, now let's go!" He stormed out of the room, and all Hikaru could feel was a huge wave of relief. The instant he heard his dad's angry tone, he had been worried. That could've gotten ugly real quickly. He wondered what was happening, why they were visiting now, why his father was in a bad mood. Hopefully it wouldn't last. Hikaru didn't have much to hope for, but it was something.

* * *

Ogata came home to see his laptop open in the kitchen area and Sai wearing one of his button-down shirts. Maybe he finally took a shower. "Sai, did you use my laptop?" Really, the man couldn't go a day without Go? A NetGo window was open, Sai still logged in with his old not-really-pseudo pseudonym. He looked back over his shoulder to see the man twiddling his thumbs.

"Well, I had not played NetGo since I became a professional, and I was not feeling up to leaving...so yes. I did use your laptop. And your shampoo. Also, I did some research." Well, Sai was just making himself at home, wasn't he?

"How the hell did you know my password?" Ogata wondered, hardly caring about whatever Sai was researching. How did the man guess the string of words and numbers?

Sai hurriedly went over to the computer and brushed his fingers over the touchpad, exiting programs that had been minimized. Ogata hadn't even noticed them. "I did not. I merely reset it." Sai flashed a USB before him and put it back in his pocket. "Simple."

Simple for a genius like Sai. Once again, Ogata felt frustrated with the man. Sai had so much potential, but was just not ambitious enough. Sometimes he seemed so disconnected from the world, like he belonged in an older era, and other times, like now, it seemed he thrived in the technological world.

"I did spend much of the day looking for Hikaru," Sai confessed. He pulled up a window that had been minimized but didn't close it like he had with the others. "I found information about his grandfather, Shindo Heihachi, but nothing on the rest of his family. Hikaru keeps a very low profile."

"Well, what did you find on Heihachi?" Ogata leaned over Sai's shoulder to see the screen. Of his own laptop. How fair was it that Sai commandeered his laptop when he wasn't even paying attention? At some point during the whole thing, Sai had taken control of his leather chair too so that Ogata found himself standing behind him.

An article was scrolling down the screen, an intimidating wall of text. Ogata didn't feel like reading, so thankfully, Sai eventually stopped and pointed somewhere on the screen. Ogata was tempted to swat the man's hand away from the screen, but he really couldn't. It was _Sai_. "Don't touch the screen," he settled on neutrally saying.

"Oh, my apologies, Seiji!" The words and sincere tone more than made up for the fingerprint on his screen.

"Okay, so what's so interesting about this?" Ogata asked, reading the paragraph. It looked like a study done by a university for medical research. He scanned the words, but didn't find anything of interest. "I still don't get it. What does this have to do with Shindo?" It went on about studies done on geriatric patients and their families, none of which were named. The article wouldn't help unless a name was provided. Of course the family members of the patient were numbered at four: a wife, a son, a daughter-in-law, and a grandson. This wouldn't be enough to find anyone.

"Well, the footnote for this patient references a page in another study that mentions the same patient. Do you see the footnote? So we follow that…" Sai clicked on a link. "This article, right here, says that the patient was an amateur at Go, that he even won a few tournaments. The entire thing is about brain wave patterns in the elderly who regularly stimulated their minds. It is actually quite fascinating—"

"_Sai_."

"Right, so I looked up some other things, like amateur Go records, and there was a Shindo Heihachi who fell out of the active Go-playing world some years ago, around the time that these articles were referencing."

What did any of it mean? So what if Shindo Heihachi was an old guy who stopped playing Go? "It means nothing, Sai. You're just grasping for straws." Ogata could see the connection, but it was tenuous, a simple coincidence with no meaning whatsoever. Shindo Heihachi stopped playing Go, and a year or two later, academic papers sprouted up citing the worsening condition of an old amateur Go player. Hardly enough to substantiate whatever claim Sai wanted to make.

"No, Seiji, do you not see? I already checked the obituaries, and none have any mention of Shindo Heihachi . Which means he is still alive."

"Or no one got around to writing it," Ogata said with a raised eyebrow. Still, a weak connection.

"It is the only lead I have," Sai said mostly to himself as his smile slipped.

"I don't see why you can't just loiter around your park and see if the kid wanders by again."

Sai frowned. "I tried that, but I grew impatient. Tomorrow, I shall phone the hospitals working in conjunction with the university that published the study to see if Shindo is there," Sai explained. "I will not give up, Seiji."

Ogata sighed. "Never thought you would."

* * *

Note: Midterms are over, so maybe I'll be able to write more, but don't count on it. I'm going to keep trying, and I'll see what I'm doing with my outline. It simply won't work anymore. Your feedback really helps me out, even if it's to say that the second half of this chapter was lagging and seemed tacked on (I wish I could make the 'research' seem more credible, and I'll work on it). Just tell me what you think. And THANK YOU for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
Notes: This chapter only reinforces in me the thought that I ought to have someone edit my work. Really, I would give my own criticism about it now, but I don't want to make it sound as if it's not a good chapter...anyway, you reviewers keep me going. Think of this as a New Years present. :)  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak

* * *

_

Logically, Sai could have done a number of other things to find Hikaru. Surely there were records of him in school databases, and Shindo wasn't so popular a name that he would have trouble finding a few families in the area around the park who shared it. Going through Shindo Heihachi was unnecessary, and Seiji told him as much. However, for some reason Sai could not fully understand, he felt he needed to meet this old man. To see him.

He had a plan. He was going to visit the front desk and ask the person manning it if there existed a way to contact Shindo Heihachi's family. Sai would pretend to be an old colleague, though how old he could pretend to be he wasn't sure, and he would walk out of the hospital with some way of contacting Hikaru. And he'd get the chance to see Hikaru's first teacher.

The plan didn't quite go as he had planned.

"Shindo-san was a great colleague of mine," Sai started, smiling to the woman at the desk all the while. "Is there any way I may contact his family to offer my condolences?"

"Oh, you poor dear," the woman clucked. "Go right on in," she said without actually listening to what he wanted. Sai looked at her strangely but opened the door to the unit anyway. "Take this badge with you, hon." It was a laminated yellow square with a bed number on it. He clipped it to his shirt and walked in.

There was a maze behind the door, a white-walled maze with the occasional framed lilac lining the halls. Once he finally found the unit, he looked around. Empty, it seemed. So very empty. A few nurses lingered about, and one suited woman was doing paperwork. It was silent save for the occasional beep or ringing phone. It seemed dead.

He looked at his badge and spotted the room with the corresponding number. There was a glass window, but the blinds obscured his vision. And there was a door. A wooden door, behind which lay the sick Shindo Heihachi. He wondered how to steel himself for the sight, expecting a sickly old man on tubes and catheters. His steps slowed as he realized that he might not want to see the dying man.

The door opened before he was a meter away.

"Sai?" a voice called from within. Such a marvelous voice! An uncertain voice, but the voice of a familiar young man. Sai had a brief glance at the motionless body before a teenager pulled the door closed behind him and gazed up. Sai looked into his protégé's eyes and felt a tsunami of relief wash over him.

"Hikaru!" he exclaimed in return, almost running to greet him. The boy's eyes looked wet with tears, and Sai felt himself tearing up as well. "Oh Hikaru, how long I have searched for you!" He said excitedly but very much aware of the nurses' eyes on them.

Hikaru glanced at the closed door as if to make sure it was still closed and then turned a meaningful gaze toward Sai. He looked at Sai as if he were a dream, a ghost. As if Sai would leave any moment. Sai hated seeing that desperate look upon his friend's face. Oh, the wrongs he had committed because of thoughtless misunderstandings.

"My grandfather's in there," Hikaru said uselessly and with the blasé sort of dismissal that came with being a teenager. Sai knew very well that the man hospitalized there, with an IV drip and all sorts of tubes going in and out of him, was Hikaru's grandfather. He also knew that Hikaru was the last person to affect indifference over such a topic.

So he just nodded.

"He taught me Go," Hikaru added a little more quietly, as if he was trying to have a pleasant conversation about daisies or some other inane thing. He was not shaky or uneasy. He was not awkward or teary. Not over this man. Why?

"So you did know a bit before I taught you anything," Sai said quietly. It was not accusatory, just a plain fact.

"I told you that," Hikaru said, equally factually. "But I did lie about the Go board." He turned back toward the closed door, his back to Sai.

Oh, the fact that he had not seen one? That seemed like a petty lie to own up to, hardly worth mentioning now. Sai thought they had bigger issues they needed to overcome.

"Gramps had one in his attic." Hikaru was no longer looking at Sai but at the window with the blinds hiding everything from view. His voice was no longer that of aloofness. Perhaps more like an interest in something most people wouldn't find interesting.

Maybe Hikaru needed to talk about this instead. How selfish, Sai berated himself. Here was the boy's grandfather dying before their eyes, and Sai could only think of _their _ problems.

"Yes? You occasionally played against him?"

Hikaru smiled. How nice, Sai thought. He had missed Hikaru's smiles. "The once, really. I thought I could take him, earn some cash, ya know? But he beat me pretty soundly. Then one day I went up to the attic to find something to sell, to pawn off, anything. I was such a greedy kid," Hikaru whispered, his voice finally cracking. He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"Hikaru? Hikaru, are you okay?" Sai looked at his friend's back, but he couldn't tell much from the hunched shoulders.

"Yeah, 'course," Hikaru answered with the amount of pep usually expected of him. Sai wanted to confront him, ask him _really _if he was okay and if he was, why he looked like he would fall apart any second.

A tap on Sai's shoulder made him tense up. "The patient's son is here to visit, so you'll have to step out. Only two visitors at a time," a nervous young thing instructed him. The teenage boy was older than Hikaru, but had none of the confidence that Hikaru exhibited. Oh, to find Hikaru only to leave mere moments after.

Sai glanced at his student and friend. Had he heard what the boy said? He quickly motioned to the teen volunteer and told him, "A moment, please, and I will be going." The teen nodded and left without requiring that Sai leave with him. And Sai _was_ planning to leave. He opened the wooden door, and without entering, said, "Hikaru, your father is coming, so I will be out in the waiting room." He handed the yellow tag to Hikaru to give to his father once he arrived.

Sai was not sure how to interpret the look of unhappy surprise on Hikaru's face. A half-hearted okay drifted from the boy, and Sai was tempted to stay there and demand an explanation for the boy's sudden moroseness. Of course, he belatedly supposed, they were in an ICU. Plenty of reason to be morose here. He took a few moments to watch Hikaru take his place by the bed. The boy sunk into a hard-looking chair and grasped the old man's limp hand. Sai had no idea it was this bad.

Sai stepped out from the room and had every intention of leaving to wait in the lobby or elsewhere, but he stopped mid-motion when he saw a man striding down the hallway. He completely ignored Sai in favor of entering the hospital room Sai had just left.

"...Dad," Sai faintly heard Hikaru say. So this was Hikaru's dad. It was strange, finally seeing Hikaru's father. The man was of course taller than Hikaru, but he looked little like the boy. There were traces in the shared shape of the eyes and the slight curve of their noses, but apart from that, Sai thought Hikaru must have gotten most of his looks from his mother.

There were no doctors in sight. Patients in rooms, Nurses in scrubs, two or three women in business casual, Hikaru and his father. These were the only people in the unit apart from Sai himself.

Sai stood away from the room, unwilling to interrupt a family moment, especially since it seemed these would be the last moments. He closed the door to keep their privacy, and all at once, the beeping started. It was frantic, insistent. It was not as loud as Sai imagined it would be. A nurse pushed past him to open the door. "You'll have to leave for now," she calmly said to Hikaru and his father as if the beeping were normal and not a cause for worry.

"What's happening? What does that noise mean?" Shindo-san asked sternly. He seemed nothing like Hikaru.

"I can't release that information, but the doctor will meet you in the waiting room." The nurse cut off all inquisition there and guided them out of the unit entirely. Sai would have followed, and truly common courtesy dictated that he leave with them, but he so wanted to understand what was happening with this Shindo Heihachi, who he was and what he looked like, and curiosity was one of Sai's most persistent traits.

He cautiously entered the room, but was not willing to go much further. He stood between the door-frame and the window, the space of wall blocking him from the outside. The old man did not seem that old. Old enough to retire, but not too old to enjoy retirement. Instead, here he was, slipping away. Or slipped away entirely by now. Would the beeping never stop?

He pulled down part of the blinds with a finger and glanced out at the unit, surprised that no one was rushing to the beeping monitors. There must have been a shortage of nurses, Sai hypothesized, what with one nurse given the responsibility of more than one room. Or perhaps that was just how they operated here. Still, he thought it strange that many of the people on the unit were leisurely hanging around instead of attending to the dying man.

"Hey, what're you doing this weekend?" he heard a man ask a woman since the door was still open. The unit had one large rectangular c-shaped desk which had maybe four computers spaced out by a few feet. He pulled down part of the blinds again to glance out, seeing a woman sitting behind the desk and a man looking at the chart right beside room 5. They had time to socialize but no time to save the dying man?

"I really don't know. I haven't finished putting the patient labels into the charts either, and gotta check the physician's orders to make sure everything's together. Hospital's keeping me tied here, so I might have to come back here and finish paperwork. Especially since bed number five finally died," the man holding the chart said.

Now, it was not as if he was purposefully attempting to eavesdrop. He kept his gaze trained on the dying man and his hearing on the conversation being held above the beeping.

"I wondered when he'd be going. Took his son a while to put that DNR order on. It looked like the old man shoulda been gone a while ago," the woman speculated, "but he was holding onto something, I bet."

"Yup, both the old man and his son. Except the grandkid. Did you see him? The most apathetic kid I'd seen in a while."

Hikaru? Apathetic? Sai hardly thought so. The boy seemed the most impassioned over his Grandfather from what Ogata said. Only today had he seen any hint of apathy, and Sai suspected it was feigned anyway.

"I heard the old man was here because of the kid."

"Really?" the nurse asked, the soft footsteps telling Sai that he had moved. Now this was interesting, Sai thought.

"I heard the father yelling at 'im once. I called in Child Life services, but after they did their thing, they said it was fine. Just stress. But I tell you, he was blaming the boy for bed five's coma."

"That's horrible." A click of the tongue. "Tch, Poor kid."

"Or poor dad. You never know. Maybe the kid did something. He does look like the type."

Sai wondered if there was maybe a law against speaking about patients in public areas. Did the unit count as public? He guessed not. It still did not feel right, eavesdropping on an insensitive conversation about Hikaru's grandfather and Hikaru's supposed culpability as the beeping continued without anyone to stop it.

"Now bed twelve is tragic," the woman, probably the unit coordinator, said. "Shot himself in the head, and his entire family was visiting."

"How sad," the nurse said. Sai agreed.

* * *

Hikaru's legs felt weak even before his father leveled an angry stare at him. He collapsed into a chair and supported his suddenly heavy head with his hands. The heels of his hands pressed into his eyes and his fingers dug into his scalp. There were no hitching sobs, though Hikaru thought he'd feel better if he could cry. He hadn't cried once, not when his grandfather was first admitted nor when they'd heard the first hopeless prognosis. Now? He still couldn't cry.

"You need to do some paper work, Shindo-san. There's the matter of bills, as well," a woman with a clipboard said, offering the man her pen. Hikaru was glad for a reprieve from his father's relentless glare, but blanched at the thought of bills. They had kept Gramps alive for so long...too long, he knew the doctor thought. As did the nurses and everyone else who worked in the intensive care unit.

Shindo Masao gave a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, this is all overwhelming. Could I come back tomorrow to settle everything?" his dad said with a hard edge to his voice that Hikaru knew well. Hikaru thought his father could have been a brilliant actor if he wanted. The man could switch from world-weary to caring to furious in seconds. When his dad was mad at home, he generally threw things or hit the nearest thing. Usually Hikaru. But this, this was a silently stewing anger that had him nervous.

The woman looked reluctant to let them go, but took her pen back anyway. "Tomorrow then, Shindo-san. We have resources for you too if you need help with the funeral or anything. You don't want to leave these matters for too long."

"Of course not," he answered as the woman left. "Hikaru!" he barked, the word sounding more like a profanity than a name.

Hikaru shot up from his seat and was on his feet with the imbalance of a drunkard. "Yeah?" He felt like jelly—no, his legs felt like numb things. Yeah, there was an other-body-ness he was feeling. Shindo Hikaru was supposed to smile and joke and say everything would be alright, but right now, he didn't feel like doing much of anything.

His dad's voice was quiet but imbued with such hatred that it was impossible not to shudder at his tone. "We're going home. Right now." He seemed so angry, so mad, so—

"Hikaru."

If only his father would say his name like that. With concern, with worry, with relief. Oh, but Hikaru didn't deserve any of his care. Hikaru tried to convince himself that he _did not _miss the sympathetic smiles or the concerned glances. Like those from Sai. Hikaru's eyes focused on the graceful figure suddenly entering the lobby from the ICU.

"Hello, sir. I am Fujiwara Sai, Hikaru's tutor," Sai introduced himself to the older Shindo with a bow.

Hikaru's dad looked the man up and down, probably finding his state of dress inexcusable. For one, Sai's hair was long. And then that lavender shirt-never mind that it was a collared shirt; the fact that he would wear that color with white pants would definitely have his dad's disapproval. It hadn't occurred to Hikaru before. He rarely noticed what Sai was wearing. He just didn't want his dad finding fault with Sai.

"Shindo Masao, his father," he answered without a courtesy bow in return. "Excuse us, we're leaving." Abrupt, angry. Hikaru was not looking forward to what would happen at home. And then he felt guilty for thinking of himself instead of Gramps.

"Might I have a word with Hikaru first?" Sai asked. What was Sai getting at? What was he trying to do, get him into trouble with his dad?

Hikaru noticed his father curling his lip in distaste. "Make it quick," he said. To Hikaru, he hissed, "Don't make me wait." As his dad took a seat, a shiver ran down Hikaru's spine, leaving him practically immobile.

"What is it, Sai?" Hikaru asked, surprised he could find words to speak. He still wasn't sure if he had complete control of himself. He still felt like crying and shouting and running away. He wasn't quite in the mood for anything apart from survival and he was frightened of what would happen once he got home. He couldn't quite concentrate on what Sai was saying. "Sorry, what?" he asked again when he realized that Sai had been talking and he hadn't picked up any of it.

"I said, I'm very sorry for your loss and we don't have to be friends," he said as if in summary. What? How could Sai say such a thing? Hikaru thought they were over that! "Perhaps colleagues or pure student-teacher," Sai concluded.

Hikaru shook his head, the action making him dizzy and almost nauseous. "No, Sai, that's not what I meant at all—"

"Well, what do you want, Hikaru?" The words weren't petulant as Hikaru had come to expect. They were yearning for understanding. "I'll do whatever you want."

Sai's pleading was killing him. _Sai..._he thought, _I want you to hold onto me. Don't let me go. _"I—My dad's waiting for me, so I have to go home." _Don't let him take me away. _But Sai couldn't read his mind, and Hikaru wasn't going to say those words aloud. _Don't make me go back._

"Oh. Well, I suppose you can just call then and tell me when you have free time. Is that okay?" Sai sounded doubtful, and Hikaru was sorry to put that doubt in him.

Hikaru wished he could do something about Sai's disappointed frown and the subsequent half-smile he used to cover it up, but he could feel the anger radiating from his dad.

"We've got to go, boy." Hikaru felt a tight vise latch onto his arm and he tried in vain to keep the wince from his face. Before he could say a proper goodbye, his father had him down the hall. "So you've been gallivanting around with all sorts of poofs? Tutor, my ass. That man, or should I say woman, looks fit to teach nothing more than peace and love," he scoffed. Hikaru thought with a half-crazed laugh that it seemed Sai really had taught him about such things.

* * *

"Ne, Seiji…" Sai started hesitantly.

"Hm?" the blond asked. He hadn't asked a word since Sai called him for a ride back. Ogata thought it better to let Sai speak first. After all, if the man was silent, there must have been a reason for it.

"I saw Hikaru there."

There was no sign of Ogata's surprise apart from the slight widening of his eyes and a twitch of his lips. He figured Sai couldn't see much without facing him fully, but he would see that at least. "So? You made up with him?"

"I think so."

Ogata brushed back the temptation to sigh in frustration. "You think?" he asked doubtingly. "You're not sure?" How was it that Sai had left without a clear answer after all that effort put into finding the kid?

"He was rather preoccupied. I had this long speech prepared, but I think he was tuning me out the entire time. Then I offered to be just teacher and student, but he said he never meant for that and he could not even tell me what he wanted when I asked. As I said, he was preoccupied, as he has every right to be. His grandfather had just died, and his father looked quite distressed."

Ogata's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You met his father?" No matter how much he detested the fact that the kid was hanging around Sai, he couldn't ignore what his mind was telling him. The boy's right arm and the way he reacted to the men back at the Children's Go Tournament...

"I do not know why that of all things caught your attention, but yes. A stern-looking man. I thought he was a little rough with Hikaru. Uncalled for, in my opinion. I can understand how stressful a situation that could be, but surely he did not have to be so brusque."

"Rough?" How? He didn't...strike him, did he? In front of other people?

At a stoplight, he turned to look at Sai who was wearing a thoughtful expression. His arms were crossed, and his brown creased in consternation. "With his words, for one thing. Actually, I did not appreciate the way he grabbed Hikaru either," Sai said with a frown.

Grab? That wasn't a good sign.

"And Hikaru...he seemed distracted. And...fearful? Seiji, what does it mean when a boy really does not want to go home even when he says he must?"

Ogata thought he had a pretty good idea.

"Perhaps being home brings back memories of his grandfather," Sai continued, starting to hold the conversation with himself. "According to the records, the man was quite an amateur. He probably could have gone into the pros if he wanted."

At this, Ogata rolled his eyes. "You want everyone to go professional."

Sai pouted. "More people to play."

* * *

Hikaru tensely sat on the train with his father. He glanced up every now and then, his heart sinking every time as he realized that this train ride was only giving the man time to stew and grow angrier. He rubbed his arm, and figured there might be bruising in his future. His very near future, he decided once he saw the man's hands clenching and unclenching. Hikaru dreaded ten more minutes of this anxious waiting.

"We're getting off here," his dad said abruptly. Hikaru was snapped out of his thoughts as his father alighted the train without looking back. He wondered why they had stopped so early, and spotted the liquor store toward which his dad was heading. No, no, that was not good. He hesitated on the platform and with little thought ran back into the train just as the doors started to close. Such a phenomenally bad decision, he told himself. How long would it take for his dad to realize that Hikaru wasn't behind him? Maybe he would he assume that Hikaru was lost, or that he had run away completely...oh, why the hell had he done that?

Well, there was no use regretting it. He had made his decision, and though it might have been one of the stupidest decisions of his life, he had no choice but to stick by it. Oh, he knew his dad would be furious. He was already furious. Hikaru was sure that by the time the man reached home, he would be beyond furious.

"Mom!" he was breathless by the time he got home. He had no money for a cab, so the run from the station to his house felt like the longest, most tiring thing he had ever done. The door was unlocked, so once he was inside, he took the time to lock it, take the key out, and even bolt the door. "Mom!" he shouted again, running upstairs to empty rooms. He dashed to the kitchen and the living room and even checked the upstairs again, but there was no answer. He sat on the bottom step of the staircase with his head in his hands. It felt like an eternity, waiting on that step for one of his parents to come home and seal his fate.

He jumped when he heard the door groan against someone trying to open it.

"Why is this door bolted?" he heard his mother say. Losing no time, he unbolted it, fished the key out, and let her in. She maneuvered herself inside with three paper bags in hand. Hikaru slammed the door and turned the key again.

"Hikaru, what is this all about?" his mother asked, putting some paper bags in his hands. "Put those in the kitchen." Hikaru ignored her directions and let them drop to the floor.

"Hikaru! There might be eggs in that bag!"

"Mom," he said, swallowing down both a relieved sigh that she was here and a hysterical laugh at her inconsequential worries. "It's dad, he's furious. He's really mad. Gramps flat-lined when we visited, and then he was just really angry-"

"What? Hikaru, you're making little sense," she said, moving some of the bags to the kitchen. Hikaru followed her, frustrated that she wasn't listening to him. "Start from the beginning," she instructed him as she started to put food items away.

"Grandpa is dead," he said, not bothering to use pretenses or euphemisms.

"Oh." She slowed her fiddling with whatever she was doing. "How, how did your father take it?" she asked quietly.

"He was really mad." Her hands stilled completely. "And then he got off the train to get some alcohol, and I was supposed to follow him, but I didn't because I knew what would happen once we got home..." She was half-sitting, half-leaning against the counter. Hikaru didn't have the time to let her recover from shock. "Mom, we gotta go. C'mon, before he gets home." Hikaru was pulling her to the back door, and she would have followed him; Hikaru knew she would have followed him to safety.

As if speaking about his dad summoned him there, they heard a pounding on the door and a muffled bellow.

Her frightened eyes looked at him and only encouraged him to take her hand. "C'mon, we gotta go!" he said, more urgently pulling her along. They didn't have a car, and he doubted his mother carried extra money on her at all times, so they had to get a really good head start before Masao took after them.

But she wouldn't move. "Hikaru, run," she said, all indecisiveness gone. Her eyes were wide with fear that Hikaru had never seen before. "Run, and don't come back unless I call you." Unless? Didn't she mean 'until'?

No, he wanted to argue. No! He would not leave her to face him alone. He had seen what happened when the two were alone and Masao was angry. She thought he didn't know, but he knew well enough. He knew what would happen if he abandoned her here.

"You need to leave—"

The pounding continued, and if it was taking Masao so long to find his own key, Hikaru could be sure that the man was already drunk. "Hikaru!" she whispered urgently and just looked at him. Hikaru turned his head away, because if he read her gaze, he would believe her and his logical mind would tell him to run. "Listen to me, Hikaru. I will be fine, okay? I will be fine." Her voice was shaky and her lips set in a thin hard line. Hikaru wanted to argue, but her eyes were flashing the same green as his own, a determined green that Hikaru knew well.

She smiled at him, but with the sweat dripping down her forehead and the shaking of the hands that held his, he knew that he could never leave her. "Please, sweetheart." Why now? Why was she doing something now, when they needed to run? She ran a wrinkled hand through his hair. "I'll talk to him."

That didn't reassure Hikaru at all. Since when did talking ever help them? She wrapped her sweaty palms around Hikaru's hands and sought his eyes. "Don't worry. Go outside." She had never been firm with him before, so this assertiveness from her was alien to him. She even opened the back door with a smooth click, a weird contrast to the banging on the front door. She looked at him with such foreign love in her eyes. When was the last time she had looked at him like that, with such emotion? He couldn't remember, but he reveled in it. When would he see that look again?

The door closed on him as he was interpreting her gaze, and it took him by surprise when he tried to open the door and he couldn't.

* * *

Notes: Wow, so this is a really busy chapter. I pasted two different things to put this together since the length wasn't enough. If you couldn't tell, I'm already working without an outline, so updates will take a while. I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and if you wanted a response and I didn't respond, I'm sorry. I'll get to them, I swear (er, hope). I'm looking forward to your reactions, because this is kind of a big (in importance) chapter. Some character growth, methinks. Also, longest chapter in this story. :D


	10. Chapter 10

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
**Notes:** So life has been getting in the way, and I'll admit that this wasn't my first priority. It was the gentle push of a certain reviewer that encouraged me to finish it this weekend before summer classes would stop me from writing at all. I could complain of all sorts of things that got in the way, death in the family, relationship problems, school, but I take full responsibility for not updating sooner. I do not plan to leave this unfinished, so assume I'll update at some point. Also, you might want to reread previous chapters if you don't remember what happened last.  
**Full Summary**: Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

"Akari, your friend can't stay here forever," her father said with a frown. Hikaru's first thought had been Akari. Actually, she hadn't been his first. He considered calling the police, calling Sai, running to the Go Association, hiding out at his high school or the park-but Akari's house wasn't too far away, and Hikaru wanted to be somewhere familiar. If not comfortable, then somewhere his father couldn't enter. "I'm sure his parents are expecting him," the man continued warily.

Hikaru froze. Akari's dad hadn't even addressed him. Akari herself was looking back and forth between Hikaru and her dad. Desperate, Hikaru turned to her mom, hoping she would prove to be more amenable.

The woman put Hikaru's fingers around a cup of tea. Warm, but not too hot. She sat down slowly and considered him. "I think we should bring you back, Hikaru. After all, it's your father! Just because you've had a small disagreement, that doesn't mean you can't settle your differences," Akari's mother said in a very logical, very reasonable voice.

He blanched. "No! He'll kill me! My mom might already be dead!" He looked to Akari for help, but she seemed deep in thought, her eyes directed downward and her fingers threaded together.

"Now Hikaru," Akari's dad admonished sternly, "enough with the histrionics. Either you go home and settle this with your father, or I call him here."

Hikaru considered his options. Calling his dad here would have definite advantages. It would separate his parents, giving his mother a chance to escape—he couldn't let himself think that she was anything but safe—and it would give Hikaru the opportunity to have Akari's parents believe him. Hope rose in his chest as he looked up to Akari's parents. "I think you should call him here."

"Now really!" Akari's mom said, exasperated, leaning back further into her armchair in mild exasperation.

Or maybe they wouldn't believe him. After all, if Hikaru's dad came over, what would stop the man from spouting a complete lie? He would charm them, make Hikaru out to be a pathological liar, and drag him back home. He would lose this chance to get away, and he'd lose his credibility if he ever tried to run away again. This would set the precedence, wouldn't it?

He really had no choice. He glanced from the woman's hard disapproving frown to the man's equally negative stare. He chanced a quick look at Akari who still sat quietly in thought. No choice. "Okay, I'll go back."

"See? Simple," Akari's mother said with a pinched smile. "Drink the rest of your tea, and Akari can walk you back home."

Adults were useless.

Akari slowly closed the front door behind them. She didn't take another step. Instead, she put a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"You wouldn't joke about this kind of stuff, would you?" she asked. Hikaru's face brightened. She was willing to believe him?

"Never. I'm completely serious."

"Then maybe it's better you didn't hide here," she decided. What? What led to that conclusion? "Your dad knows me and my family, and he knows this is the first place you'd go. I wish we could be the ones to protect you, but we can't." She quickened her step, walking in the opposite direction of his home.

He thought he understood. He had endangered her family by going there. If his dad was as crazy drunk as Hikaru remembered, then the man wouldn't let something as little as the law stop him from violently getting his son back. How stupid, Hikaru thought. He considered Akari a friend, and he still put her in danger.

"Yeah, I understand," he said dejectedly. Maybe he'd spend another night at the park. That worked last time, and his father hadn't thought to look for him there. But the man had searched for him in the playground that one time with Akari's friends, so that place was a no-go. He scratched his head in frustration. The only place left was the Go Association or that one Go salon…

"You have to go somewhere they won't find you, somewhere your dad wouldn't know about," Akari continued. Hikaru hadn't realized she was still thinking aloud. Or following him, for that matter. Wait, _they_?

"Who's _they_?" Hikaru felt stupid for asking.

Akari rolled her eyes. "The police!" Wow, Hikaru hadn't thought of that. Would his dad really call the police? To find him? She crossed her arms and frowned at him. "You don't seem to realize how much this situation is not in your favor."

Oh, Hikaru knew very well that the situation was not in his favor.

"For one, you're a teenager, a kid! Your arguments against him will seem like teenage rebellion, what with your hair and reputation," she started her list, frustration in her creased brow and crossed arms. "Also, Japan loves its family units. The police don't like separating children from the patriarch. Then it doesn't help that you don't have many friends in school or that the only person you hang out with is a twenty-something year old man. Then there's your Grandpa who's in a coma because of us—"

"Actually, he died earlier today," he said quietly.

"Oh," she paused in words and step. "Oh, Hikaru." Her voice broke, and she threw both arms around his neck. "This must be so hard for you."

He wouldn't succumb to crying. He couldn't, not when he had to think clearly and make a plan. "Other worries right now," he said, though he hated saying it. "What about my _mom_?"

Akari worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Not sure what to do there. You can call the police and send them to your house, hopefully breaking up whatever's happening. Do you think your parents have settled things?"

No. Probably not peacefully, if at all.

"You probably should anyway," she continued, "you know, just in case something happens."

Neither of them needed to voice what might happen. Hikaru's mind was fabricating the worst sort of scenarios, and needed little convincing to call the cops. Hikaru gratefully took Akari's phone in hand to make the emergency call.

"And you need to find somewhere else to stay for the night. Potentially, for a while," Akari went on as Hikaru told emergency dispatchers his address.

"And you might want to compile evidence against your dad. Oh Hikaru, I'm sorry I hadn't put everything together. I'm such an idiot sometimes!" Hikaru was having an odd time talking to the woman on the line while Akari was blaming herself for his misfortune.

"Your arm!" Akari continued. "That hot water thing was a lie, wasn't it? I bet it still looks bad. Use that. And that one time your dad came by the park—"

"Akari!" Hikaru finally said, hanging up the phone. "Relax! I know a guy I can stay with indefinitely. He wouldn't mind at all."

She looked at him worriedly and wrung her hands. "Sorry. Not a time to panic." Hikaru thought that if she was going to panic, now was the time. She had done all she could (which was probably why she could find nothing else to do apart from panic), and it was more than anyone had ever done for him. Barring his mother...

* * *

After a full day of pacing in his apartment, boiling water, forgetting about said boiling water, having to re-boil it, and worrying about simply everything, Sai finally decided to dial Seiji's home number. It took him a few minutes to find his cell phone, since for some reason it had been hiding in the pocket of some pants he had to fish out of his dirty clothes hamper.

"Seiji...there is something making me uneasy," Sai started. He held the cell phone to his ear with his shoulder since his hands were occupied with pouring boiling water into his teapot. He was not sure what was bothering him, but oftentimes Seiji provided a perspective he lacked. "I think Hikaru was acting strangely, and...and I do not know what to do." Sai frowned to himself; he was usually more eloquent, but thoughts were battling in his skull, fighting over which would take precedence. Hence, why he was making tea in the first place. The mobile starting beeping, and Sai wondered at what it meant before pressing the red button.

"Seiji? Are you still there?" he asked desperately, hoping he had not accidentally hung up.

"It makes me uneasy too, Fujiwara," Seiji answered, though it was tempered with annoyance. "You're awfully dense for a Go prodigy."

That was hardly appropriate! "Then help me, instead of insulting me. I have a serious concern." He maneuvered the cell phone into his hand.

"Yeah, I do too. And before you ask, it concerns your kid. I've been thinking about how to do this, so—" More beeping from his cell phone, but it eventually went away just like the first time.

Sai heard a faint ringing, and could only assume that Seiji's cell phone was ringing. He could not possibly find his cell phone more important than _this_ call! "Seiji! Do not hang up on me," Sai warned.

"I received a text from Toya Akira," Seiji finally said after a pregnant silence.

"While you might enjoy texting with young Toya, we have bigger priorities-"

"It's about your brat."

That made Sai pause. "They know each other?" How serendipitous, that Hikaru and Akira should meet, especially without Sai's influence. Perhaps Seiji had brought them together? Or maybe it was at that Go event? "How? No wait, what did he say?"

"Akira wanted to know why you weren't picking up your cell phone since Shindo has been trying to contact you."

"What!" Sai looked at the screen of his cell phone and abashedly saw the _7 missed calls_ mocking him. "I need to call him then. I will talk to you later."

"No need. I've got his location, and he needs to be picked up. I can come by your place and we can get him—"

"No! See to him first and bring him to your apartment. I shall be on the train in five minutes. Good bye," Sai ended the call abruptly.

* * *

_"Ogata-sensei's on his way—"_

"Wait, that creep? Why!" Hikaru didn't want Ogata, the creepy, judgmental, blond, creep.

_"I don't see the problem. He's close to Fujiwara-sensei, so that _creep_ can get you to him. And it's not like you have any right to be calling him such—"_

"Yeah, yeah, thanks man," Hikaru said dismissively. Hearing nothing at the other end, he sighed and amended his thanks. "No really, you barely know me, but you have no idea how important this is. So yeah, thanks again."

_"...It's really all Ogata-sensei, but you're welcome."_

"So um, yeah. If you need anything in the future, just uh, just ask. Bye," Hikaru said, trying to hang up quickly.

_"Actually, we could play a game some—" _And Hikaru snapped the phone closed. It was something of a miracle that the other kid's number was on Akari's phone in the first place, and that Hikaru had noticed it. After finishing his emergency call, he caught sight of her recent calls, noting that there was a number repeated quite often among the missed calls. Turns out, with Akari's number as his only lead, the kid from the Go salon had tried to find him, much to Akari's annoyance. It was to Hikaru's favor that the kid, Toya Akira, had been constantly calling her phone for the past few days.

"That seemed awfully rude of you, interrupting him at every turn," Akari remarked as she straightened herself. While Hikaru was talking, she had her ear pressed up to the back of the phone. Even though she was irritated about the constant calls, the fact that the stranger could help Hikaru lessened her ire toward him.

Hikaru shrugged. "He was talking too much. And time is of the essence!" And honestly, it sounded rude, but it was all Hikaru could do to keep himself together without shouting and grabbing his hair.

Akari gave him a_ look_ that said many things Hikaru couldn't really understand since he was a teenage boy with no experience with girls and their _looks_. "Really?" She plopped down on the curb, her elbows resting on her knees and her head tilted into one hand. "Cause we're not going anywhere until your what, 'creepy' friend shows up."

"Not my friend," he muttered, but she did have a point. There was not much they could do apart from wait for Ogata to arrive. The problem Hikaru had was with the inaction of everything. If he wasn't doing _something_ then he would worry, and he knew what he would worry about, _his mother_, and he didn't want to worry about it because he couldn't f-ing_ do _anything, and

"Hikaru?"

He shook his head to clear it, but kept his faraway gaze on the road. "What."

In a reassuring voice, she placed her hands on her knees and turned to him. "Don't worry."

He lifted his eyes to her, noting the same concern he had seen in his mom's eyes as she led him out the back door. "Not worrying," he lied. "Everything will be fine."

Akari smiled a grand smile and wrapped him in a surprisingly tight squeeze. "That's right. Everything will be fine."

And that's how Ogata came upon them six minutes later as he was cruising down the street in a bright red car.

Hikaru shot up at the man's lackadaisical approach, fury quickly building in his gut. His mother was in danger, his entire life was crumbling around him, he needed the support of someone who actually gave a shit about him, and instead he got Ogata Seiji impatiently glaring at him over his glasses. "Well? Get in," the man commanded.

Hikaru was hesitant to join the adult in a car. He hardly knew the man, and he had no good memories of him. His eyes were hooded as he opened the door. He sent a glance back at Akari, wondering if it was gentlemanly to leave her there. He was about to offer to drop her off at her house when she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"I'll see you later, Hikaru. I'm sure Sai's been waiting for you, and my parents probably want me back. Stay safe, huh? Call me tomorrow and tell me how you're doing. I'll try to find out everything I can about your parents' situation." Hikaru nodded, not able to get past the lump in his throat to say any parting words.

Closing the door felt like another death sentence as the car sped away, far from Akari and far from everything he thought normal.

Ogata didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation, so Hikaru tried to keep silent. But it was an uncomfortable silence, nothing like the quiet between him and Akari, and Hikaru couldn't stay voiceless for long. "So uh, we're going to Sai's place?"

Ogata's head whipped toward his direction, his eyes boring into Hikaru, and whipped back to the road. "Have you been to his place?" he asked smoothly, a tone that didn't seem congruent with the abrupt way he had glanced at Hikaru.

"Nope, just wondering." Hikaru wasn't sure how much he trusted this guy. He remembered meeting him at the Go Association and again at the Children's tournament. It was terrible. There wasn't one good encounter with the man. Sitting in the passenger seat made him uneasy. He was much too close to Ogata, too exposed. And the man would glance his way every now and then, as if assessing him, judging him.

Apart from making him uncomfortable, the looks reminded him of his dad. The harsh eyes and the set frown, the man's hands clenching the steering wheel, it all made Hikaru tense. The man's steely face stopped Hikaru from speaking more. He purposefully turned toward the window and watched the buildings pass him by. He could feel those eyes boring into the back of his head, but he tried to ignore it. Hopefully, it wouldn't take long to get to wherever they were going.

* * *

This was ridiculous. Ogata wasn't made for entertaining kids. As he drove the brat back to his place, he noticed the boy getting tenser and tenser, and Ogata didn't know what he was supposed to do. It wasn't like him to worry about other people, especially those below him, but he found himself wondering what thoughts were occupying the kid. The boy wouldn't even look at him, determined to stare out the window.

It took less than ten minutes to get back to his apartment, but it felt like an eternity. He didn't spare any time to tell the kid to get out or to follow him. He would figure it out anyway. Or maybe he wouldn't. Ogata wasn't sure how long he stood there with his hand on the door before the boy shuffled into the apartment.

It didn't take long for Ogata finally to get fed up with Hikaru's fidgeting. The boy was sitting on the couch restlessly, and Ogata didn't know what to do. Sai had yet to get there, and Ogata needed him to be here.

"Fujiwara, I can't deal with your charity case anymore!" Ogata finally shouted to no one, fed up with having to tiptoe around the boy. Every single thing he did seemed to unnerve the teenager, and the kid's jumpiness was making _him_ jumpy. When he thrust a blanket toward the kid, he flinched away. When there was a loud noise outside, he squeezed his eyes shut. There was a vulnerability that Ogata had never seen on anyone except Sai, and it made him feel uncomfortable.

"Sorry," the kid muttered.

Ogata glanced back at the teenager huddled on his couch. The image reminded him of Sai, crouching in the same position on the same couch, swaddled in the same blanket. Well, what could he say? It wasn't Shindo's fault that he was there, and getting mad at anyone but the boy's father was undeserved. "Not your fault," he muttered. He was not made to work with kids. The closest to working with kids was playing Go against Akira (or Sai), and did that even count? Akira had never seemed like a normal child.

Shindo could hardly be called a normal kid either.

Ogata found it hard to believe that this boy was Sai's prodigy. Sure, he had seen the kid in action, but that was it. _One _action. One slip of the tongue. Perhaps he could test the boy himself.

Hearing another sigh escape from the boy, Ogata almost slammed his go board onto his coffee table instead of placing it softly as he intended. Sure, it was glass. Sure, both the table and the goban were expensive and high class, but who cared? His mind was focused on distracting the boy.

Oh, well that worked, he realized once he saw the kid recoil violently at the sound. Had he always been this jumpy? Ogata found it hard to believe. Maybe he was just spooked after the events of the day.

"You'll be black," Ogata told him, nudging the go-ke over to his side. The boy didn't seem reluctant as he reached for his stones. Just slow. "Put down all the stones you want." The kid's reaction to Ogata's arrogance would tell him a lot about Shindo's personality and the way he thought.

"A few stones," the kid muttered in reply. Well, at least he was humble enough to realize he was playing a professional. Some people instantly grew offended, especially when Ogata was playing against fellow professionals. The boy had a single-minded fixation on the board and his stones, such that Ogata instantly knew that Shindo wasn't just any kid picked off the street and forced to play Go. He could ignore the sloppy hold and the occasional stupid move. There was something there that Sai had seen, and that Ogata was discovering.

* * *

Sai had a copy of Seiji's key. After all, he had been there so often and stayed over often enough that he ought to, he reasoned. So it was to his surprise when he opened the door to see Seiji and Hikaru playing a game. His steps went quietly, his socks padding on the carpet. He stooped over the board and frowned.

"Hm," he said to himself.

"Sai!" Hikaru said with a jump.

"Finally, you're here," Seiji said, more relieved than Sai expected him to be. Sai nodded absently, his eyes still on the goban.

He glanced at Hikaru, noticing something was off. Not only was the playing sub-par, but the stones were not even placed well. Hikaru had learned how to grip the stones properly quite a while ago, and Sai was not sure why the boy was now holding it between a thumb and his forefinger. Additionally, the boy was pale. Sai would hesitate to say he was thin, but the thought occurred to him. Sai had just seen him a few hours ago. What could make him look so haggard?

"How are you?" he asked cautiously.

Sai thought he knew Hikaru well enough to tell when the boy was putting on his mask, and he had hoped that the boy trusted him enough not to do so. But still, Hikaru smiled a toothy smile, and said, "I'm fine, Sai. No need to worry."

He glanced at Seiji. Even he knew it to be a lie; he was rolling his eyes. How much did Seiji know? How much did Sai really know?

"What happened?" he asked, sitting beside Hikaru. He glanced at the goban once again, and black's erratic moves seemed even more sloppy. Something was wrong.

When Hikaru would not say anything, Sai poked his shoulder. How much prodding would he need? Sai did not want to push him. Not if it was something so serious, so troubling. If it were about playing a game of Go he might push Hikaru. But this, this was not anywhere near his area of expertise.

"Hikaru? What has been happening?"

At the boy's flinch—that was not quite a flinch, because really it was only a sharp, short movement of his shoulders, nothing quite as violent as a flinch nor as subtle as a twitch—Sai knew there was something quite wrong.

"Right, well if the brat isn't going to say it, then I will," Seiji started, giving Hikaru a harsh look. It was not a glare, but something akin to it. Even Seiji, composed and detached Seiji, had to take a breath. "His father hit him. Excuse me, _hits _him. It's obviously been going on for a while."

Hikaru's neck looked like it snapped when he whipped head around to confront Seiji, but he still held a tense smile. "What do you know? You don't know anything about me, Mr. Kidnaps-children-and-forces-them-to-play-Go." Even though he had the usual bravado of Shindo Hikaru, Sai could not help but detect a slight tremor in his voice.

He considered Seiji's words. Could it be true? Sai did not want it to be. It could not be. Not sweet youthful Hikaru, no. But he knew it to be true. How long? How long had he stood by while Hikaru was hurt? Oh dear kami, his hand. His burnt hand. Was that really from dropping his mother's jewelry? Was the woman in on it too?

"Was it only your father who hurt you? Did your mother—"

"Hey!" Hikaru interrupted, completely shedding his cool demeanor. "My mother would never hurt me. She loves me."

Was that the key? Sai was about to probe deeper when Seiji took his chance. "Oh really? Fine, your mother loves you. How about your father? Does he care one whit about you?"

Hikaru slumped a bit, but Sai could see that his muscles were still tense. The boy's eyes were glazed over as he spoke, as if he were saying the words by rote. "He loves me. He's my dad. I don't work hard enough is all. And he's always stressed out because of me anyway—"

"Oh, Hikaru," Sai whispered to himself. He reach out with both arms, hoping to embrace him, hold him tight, and tell him that nothing, _nothing_ _at all_ was Hikaru's fault. As his arms sought to hug the boy, Hikaru violently flinched away. The boy's head seemed to clear as he looked up at Sai. "Sorry," he muttered.

"You have nothing for which you must feel sorry!" Sai said, his heart breaking at the forlorn look on Hikaru's face. Had he ever seen such a lost child?

Hours passed, with Hikaru telling Sai snippets of what happened that day in between long silences and the occasional clenching of teeth. He told Sai, in quiet tones so that Seiji would not hear, of his father going to the liquor store, and his mother locking him out of the house. An action, he said, that his father had performed but for a far different motive. He spoke of his fear, and his worry, of the police and of how everything must be settled by now, but he still knew nothing.

Hikaru fell asleep on the couch, but both Sai and Seiji could tell that it was a troubled sleep. The boy muttered intelligibly to himself, and his brow was furrowed. Sai turned from watching the boy to his friend. "So tell me, Seiji, because it makes little sense to me, how you contacted Hikaru through Toya Akira?"

"Short version, Akira happened to call the boy's friend's phone at the right time, and relayed a message to me for you."

Sai would have snorted to himself in mild amusement, but it was simply not something he did. Instead he let himself scoff a bit. "Such serendipity." Recently, he had gotten a functional hold of sarcasm but used it sparingly since people were prone to take him seriously.

"Yup," Seiji said with finality, sipping at his glass. Sai himself had no drink, not willing to let it dull his senses in case Hikaru needed him. Also, it became much easier to converse with the ever terse Seiji.

"Now the long version?"

Seiji rolled his eyes and downed the rest of the liquid. "Long version, when I listened in on the Toyas' conversation, I remembered that your prodigy had dialed a number besides yours. I told Akira to call the other number that his mystery player had dialed. Despite your protests, I knew that the salon-boy, the one at the tournament, and your stupid prodigy were the same person, as crazy as that sounds." Well, now two other people knew about Hikaru and himself. What dangerous waters he was treading. But it was all for Hikaru. He looked over at the young man, the boy, the adolescent, his student and friend.

"Hikaru must stay here," Sai told him sadly, though Seiji probably already knew so.

"He can't stay with you?" Seiji complained. "I can't handle the brat. Or kids in general."

Sai shook his head. "No, at least not at my place. I will endeavor to keep him occupied so you will not have to. However, I feel I must look into something at the moment."

Seiji did not speak for a long while and watched as Sai pulled the blanket up to the boy's chin. Finally, when Sai had slipped into his shoes, Seiji spoke. "Do you think she survived?" Sai could tell by Seiji's incredulous look that he doubted so. Sai would be the first to say that he had never encountered such a situation and never took notice of such sad matters. Admittedly, Seiji had suspected these happenings first and could be right about this particular worry. After all, Seiji knew much more of these darker things than Sai did.

"I could not say." But he could hope. After all, hope was one of many useless things Sai knew more of.

* * *

The house phone was ringing. Her mother was busy cooking and her father was reading something. Doubting that either would have the time to get it, Akari picked the phone up.

_"Hello?"_ a weary voiced asked. It was quiet, mousy.

"Um, I'm sorry, who is this?" Akari asked cautiously.

_"Hikaru's mother. Is he there? Pardon, to whom am I speaking?" _

Akari paused. Could she tell her that he had instead gone to a blond stranger's place? "This is Akari, ma'am."

_"Oh, Akari," she said with relief, "Is he there? I had hoped he'd gone to you rather than that strange friend of his."_

Strange friend? Akari repeated her inquiry aloud.

_"Yes, the he's named Sai. He's much older than Hikaru, and I can't tell why he'd want Hikaru around. I was starting to worry about all the time they spent together. So is Hikaru safe with you?"_

Akari felt righteous anger on Hikari and Sai's behalf. For one, there were plenty of reasons to want to be around Hikaru, and two, Sai was a perfectly nice man. She wondered if Mrs. Shindo had ever met him. Indignantly, she said, "Yeah, Hikaru's here."

The relieved sigh and the choked sob that barely made it through the phone stopped Akari up short. _"Can I- may I speak with him?"_

"He's...sleeping." Any righteous anger simply bled out of her. "Mrs. Shindo, can I ask you where you are? When he wakes up, I want to tell him. He was worrying."

_"Oh, just tell him I'm safe. I won't be able to see him for a while. I'm on my way out, but tell him I'll be back. I'll come back for him." _

She was leaving? The phone line went dead, and she could hear the dial tone a split second later. Akari wasn't sure if she wanted to tell Hikaru all that had been discussed over the phone. Perhaps just that the woman was okay. Hikaru deserved to know at least that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Warnings:** Spoilers for the entire series and mature language  
**Notes:** It's always the kind words of a reviewer that gets me writing again. This time, the review came quite a while before I posted this, but it stands; I wouldn't have gotten back to as quickly without said reviewer (not that this is quick...). I've been studying abroad this semester, and unlike other programs, my classes were hard as heck. Toward the end, I had all-nighters, a paper due every week, you name it. Okay, I'm done making excuses. Lastly, in case I haven't said it before, I simply don't write shonen ai or yaoi, so don't expect any here. Thanks for reading. :)  
**Full Summary:** Hikaru has no time or interest in Go, especially since he has to contend with failing grades and a violent father. Sai is a Go professional in the modern age, his only goal searching for the Hand of God. What simple coincidences bring these two together as teacher and student, mentor and mentee, project and creator?

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

Where did he stand? Hikaru felt himself floating in limbo, a half-way place between maybe feeling affection and definitely feeling unwanted. Sai was rarely at the apartment when he wasn't at the Go Institute, and Hikaru had to wonder what the man was doing when he wasn't at either. He acted like Hikaru was important, that he mattered, but the man's absence made Hikaru wonder. On the other hand, there was the surly Ogata who held a kind of royal haughtiness, looking down at Hikaru whenever he got the chance.

It was unnerving. It made him feel uncomfortable, with those golden eyes boring into him. And Ogata was no light-weight. The man was thin, yes, but he was lean, not an unhealthy thin. Hikaru was surprised since he always thought Go-players were crotchety old men. He should have known better not to stereotype them since he knew Sai was no old man. But Sai was the exception. Sai was _always _the exception.

The only one who looked, who really looked at Hikaru and saw _him_, not an oblivious cocky kid (though Hikaru could admit that sometimes he _was_ just an oblivious cocky kid). But Sai wasn't here, and Hikaru was instead stuck with the heartless robot.

Why couldn't he stay at Sai's? Or go back home?

Yeah..._why couldn't he just leave?_ It wasn't like Ogata valued his company anyway. He bet Ogata would be happier if he didn't have 'a brat' to look after. Hikaru had to admit to himself that he wasn't making it easy either; any gesture on Ogata's part set him on edge, and that in turn seemed to annoy the older man. Neither of them was at fault, and no reconciliation could be reached. So why couldn't he leave Ogata's place and go somewhere more comfortable?

"Ogata?" He called out.

The man's head whipped toward him with his eagle eyes focused sharply on Hikaru.

"Uh, Ogata-san?" he called again.

Seemingly reluctantly, the man asked, "What do you want?" without a hint of impatience. He seemed bored, if anything. As if he were a receptionist at an office with nothing better to do than file his nails.

"You don't want me here," Hikaru started. He would start slow, gradually convincing the man that there was need for a change.

"Not particularly, no." Well, the man didn't split hairs.

Hikaru didn't let the words hurt him. After all, he didn't like Ogata, and he knew Ogata didn't like him. Hikaru took a breath and continued, "And I'd rather not be here." Ogata's shrewd eyes narrowed and nodded for Hikaru to continue.

"I just think we'd both be better off if I stayed elsewhere."

"How perceptive of you," the blond said with a bit of a drawl. It wasn't pronounced in the man's tone, but Hikaru could taste the bitter sarcasm. "Pray tell, where is _elsewhere_?"

"Sai's place?" He said, as if it were the natural conclusion. And it was!

"No."

Ogata turned his heel and stalked back to his bedroom, leaving Hikaru with his confusion. What a jerk.

* * *

The kid was really getting on his nerves. All day long, asking if he could stay at Sai's place or, God forbid, go back home. The brat had no sense of gratitude. He wished he could tell the boy exactly why he could not go back to that abusive place (was an explanation even needed? Wasn't it self-explanatory?) and exactly why Fujiwara could not house him. But Fujiwara had given him strict instructions not to tell the boy of his past.

How stupid was that? How could Fujiwara expect the boy to trust him or appreciate him when he kept such big secrets? At the same time, the brat should just listen to the adults since they knew better than him. Kids these days.

He needed coffee. Or a stiff drink. He wondered if he wanted to brave his living room-and paused. Brave his living room? He owned the place! Defiantly, he strode from his bedroom and walked toward the kitchen area, ignoring the presence of the moody teenager.

"I know you don't want me here, so let me go back. I just want to go home," that irritating voice piped up again. Ogata regretted coming out from isolation. All he wanted was a cup of coffee, and he was bombarded with whiny complaints.

Again? Would the brat never stop complaining? "Sai wants you safe, and that place could hardly be considered safe." He started arranging his coffee machine, adding water and a little container of stuff. It was a newfangled design, but it was easier to use than filters and grounds.

"Sai's never here anyway. And 'not safe'? I'll just talk to my dad, and everything will be all right—"

Ogata's eyes flashed. Whoever claimed this kid was brilliant? All Ogata could see was stupidity. "Were you born an idiot or did your father just addle your brains one too many times?" he asked acerbically.

At the boy's wince, Ogata stopped himself from saying anything further. He leaned on the counter with both hands, his head down. Ogata didn't want to have the unfortunate obligation of telling the brat that a loving father wouldn't beat his son—his mom was AWOL, and he didn't seem to have many friends. Who was Ogata to tell him that the brat's own father didn't give a damn about him?

But it was necessary that the kid know, Ogata said to himself. Hikaru had to understand that adults didn't hurt the children whom they loved. He had to understand that _kicking a child out of the house_ was not an act of love. Such an injury to the kid's arm was not an accident too. It was ridiculous that the older Shindou get away with such things and even more ridiculous that Hikaru would let him, even go back to him!

Hikaru had such a skewed view of his father. Didn't he understand that loving parents simply didn't do that? They wouldn't hurt their children, and they wouldn't abandon them either. The kid's mom—Ogata had a problem with her too. Hikaru seemed to think her the paragon of motherly virtue, but from what he had heard from the stories Hikaru himself told was that she was negligent, weak, and selfish.

Ogata wondered how the kid was still functioning if he had only his father and mother as his role models. What had happened with his grandfather anyway? He had heard a bit about the amateur, but nothing else of the old man. How did Heihachi's son turn into an abusive drunkard?

"What was Shindo Heihachi like?"

He could tell from the boy's stiffening that the question was a sensitive one. The brat crossed his arms and asked guardedly, "Why would you care? He's just a _nobody_."

Why did that sound familiar? He pushed the question to the back of his mind and pursued his prior thought. "Now, he can't really be a nobody if he was the one who taught you."

"He didn't teach me. Sai did."

"Ah, but you said, on the night of the Children's Tournament, that Shindo Heihachi was your teacher."

Hikaru gave him a sidelong glance, a tired glance. "I thought you already knew I was just saying that to protect Sai."

Ah, that was interesting. Ogata wondered how much the boy knew. "Why do you think he needs protecting?"

Shindo shrugged. "Hell if I know. But he doesn't want it known that I'm his student. Whether it's protecting his pride or his streak of prodigies, I'll do it." Oh, how little the boy knew. Protecting his pride? Sai could care less about such things.

He looked through his cabinet and withdrew the first mug he touched. "You really think that Fujiwara has you keep your silence because he's embarrassed by you?" The boy half-shrugged, half-nodded. Far from it! How often he had to hear the man go on, and on and on about the brat's amazing foresight. How little he knew, Ogata marveled again.

"Gramps loved Go almost as much as Sai does," he said quietly. He lapsed into silence for a few moments and looked up at Ogata with a lost look in the way his eyebrows tilted upward and his mouth settled into a frown. "You think you can find out when his funeral is?"

Ogata hesitated. "Even if we knew the location and date, you truly think you would be allowed to go? Your father will be there."

"I'll talk to him—"

Again! Again the brat was being idiotic. "Talking won't help. You're not going." He stuck the mug under the nozzle of the coffee maker and pushed a button. The small sound of whirring calmed his rising frustration.

"You can't stop me from going to my grandpa's funeral!"

Ogata smirked. "Yes I can." With that, he took his mug with him and walked back to his room.

* * *

It made Ogata supremely uncomfortable when he was awoken in the middle of the night by strange muttering and the rustle of blankets. Blearily, he walked out of his room to the living area and glared at the source of the noise. Shindo was _dreaming_.

He wondered what the boy could be dreaming about. His legs were jerking spasmodically, and his head would occasionally loll side to side as he muttered something else. Ogata lowered himself to the head of the couch, intent on listening in on the boys' dreams.

"Mmmfrm…" and other murmured nonsense was all he could hear. He stayed for a while longer, trying to decipher the strange words, but eventually grew annoyed. Why was he there, listening to the mad mumblings anyway? He had a game in the morning, he couldn't waste precious mind-recovering hours watching the boy sleep. As he stood up to go back to his room, he heard a strangled sob from the boy and a choked but understandable, "Please-"

What was he asking for, Ogata wondered. There was so much the boy could be seeking, whether it be his mother to come back or his father to stop, or Sai to stay...there was so much the boy didn't have.

"Plea-" his word was cut off by another, louder sob, and Ogata was thankful that no tears were running down the boy's cheeks. Awkwardly, for he had very little in the way of comforting another human being, he pat the boy's head. "There...there," he said. Surprisingly, the boy didn't flinch away. In fact, his legs stopped their movement and his muttering once again became unintelligible. Seeing the positive effect, he continued to pat his head, eventually the motion becoming a gentle stroking one. "That's right Shindo, sleep quietly now." He slowly withdrew his hand, but the whimper that slipped from the boy at the lost contact forced him to put it back. "Fine," Ogata griped, "Be that way, brat. But it'll be your fault if I lose my match—" He glanced at the advanced hands of the clock and sighed, "Today."

* * *

Ogata wouldn't hesitate to say that he was a selfish man. He cared little for other people's wellbeing and less for their opinions. He tolerated very little and made his displeasure known without hesitation—unless Go was involved. When it came to an intelligent conversation about Go, he could tolerate anything. Even the rap-tap-tapping of that brat's fingernail on his glass coffee table—

"Quit that." So he couldn't tolerate _every_thing. He could imagine the sight of his table cracking from all the tapping the boy was doing. Though if he were honest, the way he often dropped things instead of placing them would put more strain than the boy's insistent tapping.

"Uh sorry," the boy said, quickly removing his hand from the table and glancing at the older man from the corner of his eye. Ogata rolled his eyes. He didn't mean to scare the kid again, like that very morning when Ogata had confronted the boy about his dream or nightmare or whatever it had been. He still remembered the boy's flushing cheeks and embarrassment and his awkward apology. While Ogata took a calming breath, the brat continued, "So um, why wouldn't you go here?"

He was pointing to a crosshair on the board. Ogata considered the move. It seemed like a short-sighted move, but he could see that the boy put a lot of thought into it. So he gave the teen the courtesy of pretending to consider it for a long minute before dashing his suggestion.

"Because in a few moves, it would be your downfall." He illustrated by placing the requisite stones according to how the boy probably expected them to go. He had considered the same move in his game that day. Since the boy was nodding, Ogata continued and played his prediction. "See, black would go here, white would be forced there, and black—" It had played out in such a way in his head at the time, and seemed to be a bad move.

"Oh, I see," the boy said, tucking his legs under him with his feet on the couch cushion. Ogata had to physically remind himself not to let his anger show by pinching his inner arm. Not only had the kid interrupted his explanation, but the brat's dirty feet were on his couch…

Ogata swallowed his bile back and nodded. "And that's why it would've been a foolish move."

The boy sat in silence for a while surveying the board. "But what if instead of going there," the boy removed the latest stones, about four of them, "white went here?" He placed the stone and sat back. Ogata looked at the move. It was simply stupid. What was the boy thinking? He would lose so much territory in that move, and black would respond too easily, and—Ogata stopped himself from voicing his criticism of the stupid move, because after some consideration, he decided that the move wasn't that stupid after all.

"Yes? And _if_ white went there?" he prompted the boy to continue.

With vigor, the boy picked up a black stone. "Ya see, black will see it as an opportunity, and do the predictable thing. He'll think he's won. But after a little back and forth," the boy set more stones, far more stones than he considered strictly allowable for a reasonable prediction, and stopped. "See? Then white gets its territory back and then some."

Ogata was thankful his good sense had stepped in so that he didn't embarrass himself by calling a good move ridiculous. However, the moves the kid used to get to that point weren't necessarily the ones two players would make. To predict in a game he would have to consider all the options, and he wondered if the kid did so. He was looking too far into the game, assuming that the other player would play as he predicted.

"What if black went here instead?" Ogata removed a few stones and repositioned a black one.

"Hm…" The kid took a white stone between the middle and fore fingers of his bandaged right hand and placed it.

Ogata responded. The kid attacked. Ogata defended. The kid continued his attack. Ogata went on the offense. The kid retreated.

"Well I guess this could be another outcome," the boy said with disappointment. Black was still in the lead, but not as far as it would have been if the kid hadn't proposed the move in the first place.

"You did well, though."

The boy's eyes snapped to him in attention, and Ogata was likewise confused with himself. It wasn't that he withheld praise, he just didn't make it a habit of giving praise. With the boy still looking at him with suspicion, Ogata cleared his throat and stood up.

Without anything to do or something else to say, he simply told him, "I'm going to get take-out." Ogata didn't like thinking the word, 'awkward,' but sometimes it did apply.

"Dinner already? What time is it?" Shindo asked, perfectly comfortable, looking around for a clock.

"Past ten. We ought to have eaten earlier. I hope you like Chinese."

Ogata had to admit that the boy fascinated him. Now, Ogata would never say that he cared about the boy, and he didn't want the brat thinking he cared. But he _was_ fascinating. He could understand how Fujiwara had been pulled in, how he had been attracted to such young enthusiasm and raw talent. The boy's mind worked wonders, and Ogata found himself speculating whether the boy was naturally talented or just an avid learner. He was no Sai, Ogata had to remind himself, but he was pretty damn close. He was surprised to come back to the apartment one night to the sight of the boy curled up with a biography of Honinbo Shusaku. When he tried to pry the book away, the boy mumbled something along the lines of, "Torajiro...Sai cares. Right? Right?" His words were muffled and slow, so Ogata couldn't be sure that he heard correctly. For all he knew, the boy had said 'Torajiro suckers, rye, rye."

He didn't dwell long on his words, instead taking the book back to his bookshelf. "Torajiro, indeed," he muttered to himself, "even to Honinbo Shusaku he's disrespectful." He spared a last glance at Shindo, wondering what the kid would have in store for him the next day. Always something going on with him.

* * *

"At least take me to the Go association? I've only been able to play NetGo and I need some fresh air!" Hikaru knew he might have been exaggerating, but at the moment, the only thing he wanted was to get out of the hated apartment. It was too sterile, too modern. Too lonely.

He could see Ogata's mind going through all of the possibilities. The man was probably weighing each option to find which was the lesser evil: leaving Hikaru alone in the apartment again or taking him to the Go Association.

Hikaru was amazed that Ogata was even considering it. From what he had seen, he seemed to annoy the bejeezus out of the man, what with his sleep-talking and his tapping and constant pleas for housing elsewhere. He noted a weird look on the older man's face, something like indecision. It was a little worrisome to see Ogata without a firm decision since Hikaru had become so used to the man's assertiveness and ironclad resolve.

"...Fine. But you do exactly as I say when I say it." It was a command, and Ogata would brook no complaint. Hikaru didn't care. He finally got to go out!

Once there, though, he wasn't sure if it had been a good idea. Ogata had to leave, quite reluctantly, to attend to some students and a game on one of the higher floors leaving Hikaru to hover by the front desk with the strict words, "Don't move from this spot."

He considered leaving entirely and going back home as he had asked Ogata to let him, but the man was probably right about it not being safe for now. Better let his dad cool down. Hikaru remembered how it was the day after his father had kicked him out. The man had felt guilty, and Hikaru had seen a glimpse of his dad when the man had been dad-like.

"You!"

Hikaru snapped out of his mental plans to see a somewhat familiar face. "You?" Hikaru asked in reply to the young stranger who occupied a small space in his memory. The other boy seemed to have been in mid-conversation with another taller boy with black hair.

The taller boy started, "Am I interrupting something, Toya-kun?" He noticed Hikaru looking at the one called Toya, and Toya in turn ignoring him in favor of staring at Hikaru. Perhaps in an effort to end the silence that had then arisen, the tall one said, "Forgive my rudeness, I'm Shinichiro Isumi." He was a kind-looking person, late teens or early twenties.

"Uh, Shindo Hikaru."

"What are you doing here?" Toya asked curiously. "Are you taking the pro test soon?"

Isumi looked at both of them askance. "Is he an insei? I don't think I've seen you before, Shindo-san."

"Whoa. I just—" could he say he was there with Ogata? "That is, I uh had a message for one Fujiwara Sai?" How lame, Hikaru berated himself. Well, maybe he could actually see the man now.

"Oh, Fujiwara?" another boy asked, walking up to them all. This one bore a cocky mien and somewhat wild brown hair. "He hasn't shown up in a while, right Isumi?"

The one named Isumi nodded. "He rescheduled all his matches for the past three days and the entirety of next week, though no one knows why."

"Ogata would know. By the way, I'm Waya Yoshitaka" the newcomer piped up. Toya looked incredibly uncomfortable next to him, but Hikaru couldn't imagine why. "Though," Waya continued, "the rumors about Fujiwara-san have sprung up again. They say someone saw him with a kid a few weeks ago. Kind of iffy."

"Waya, you shouldn't be spreading rumors—"

"Wait, what's wrong with him being seen with a kid?" Hikaru interrupted.

"Naw, Isumi's right. Fujiwara's a nice guy. Wouldn't want him in trouble."

Hikaru's curiosity was growing. "Why would that get him in trouble?"

As Waya was about to elucidate, Toya put a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps not at this time. I believe Shindo-san has a message for Fujiwara-san." Turning to Hikaru, he said, "My father knows Fujiwara-san well. If you want, I can show you to his office." The intense look in the boy's eye told Hikaru that there was something more going on.

"Yeah, sure…" Hikaru continued his loose lie.

"Come with me, then. My father should be free. Waya-san, Isumi-san, have a good day."

Up the elevator and into an empty room the other boy led him. Hikaru knew the Go Institute pretty well, but not so well that he could keep up with the twisting and turning that led him to the room. There was a goban in the center and a glass wall behind which was another room that he supposed was used for watching the game that would be played in that very room.

"So, Toya, what's going on?" Hikaru asked, leaving off any honorifics. He wanted to know what was going on, dammit!

"You're Fujiwara Sai's student?" he asked in return. He looked toward the goban as if he wanted to play a game, but Hikaru wouldn't bend. He wanted answers.

"I might be." Hikaru figured the boy already knew of the connection, and he owed him anyway for helping him reach Ogata a few days ago. Hikaru owed him a lot.

"But you don't know the rumors." Hikaru shook his head. "Which means they must be unfounded," Toya continued with a relieved breath.

"What rumors? I only met the guy a few months ago! And he's been secretive and cautious, and this is only the second time I've come through the front door of this place since Sai always has us come in through the back-"

The boy looked at him sternly. "You are playing a dangerous game, Shindo-san. Fujiwara Sai, either he is risking his reputation for you, or you are in danger. "

"Enough with all of this! Just talk straight, would you? What rumors, and what does it have to do with me?"

Toya fiddled with his hands. "Well, Fujiwara-san simply appeared out of nowhere a few years ago. However, the rumors claim that he had served jail time, and it's a well-concealed fact that he's not allowed to teacher younger students, especially if they're male."

* * *

Fujiwara Sai was very familiar with research. After all, he had found Hikaru's grandfather with only a day or two of searching through obscure medical journals and old periodicals. He had the talent, his old professors had said, of knowing what information would and would not be useful. His intuition greatly helped him in finishing his doctorate in record time and manifested itself in Go as foresight.

Now, he was using it to track down Hikaru's mother. Akari had a phone number, but it had been a pay phone number. Tracing it with a directory took but minutes, but finally snooping around the area made Sai uncomfortable; the street smelled bad, and people were looking at him strangely.

"Hey, mister, looking for a good time?" asked a very young woman dressed in very indecent garb.

"No, no thank you. Excuse me," he said, ducking his head as he navigated through the seedy crowd. What was Hikaru's mother doing in a place like this? As Sai's eyes swept over the derelict street, he thought to himself that nothing had really changed. There, there was the street corner so familiar and so hated. That was where he met _him_. And over here, he thought, was where they had their last meal together.

He shook himself from his morbid memories and walked into the decrepit restaurant.

"Konoe-san, what're you doin back in these parts?" An old balding man walked up to him and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"I am Fujiwara now, as you well know. I am looking for a woman who goes by the name of Shindo. It seems she came by someone's back room recently."

The man looked at him intensely as if gauging Fujiwara's intent. "Good luck finding her. She's probably in China by now."

"Did you give her a new name?"

"Nope, just wanted a passport and an ID card."

Fujiwara nodded, knowing that this leg of the journey was now over. China, was it? He left the restaurant and the dark streets behind him. For now, all he could do was go home and tell Hikaru that his mother was safe. Even though Sai could not verify the truth of such a statement, it would be better than worrying the boy needlessly. After all, he had been away from the apartment for some time. Despite the somewhat dead end of his investigation, he was not hopeless; there were two good friends waiting for him to come back, and he was sure they had missed him.

* * *

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

I'm going to take a break from writing this for a while. Basically, I need to retool everything. I think Hikaru's improving way too fast to be credible. Also, the story's going so fast, I fear it's reaching its end without actually hitting important points. Please let me know if you have suggestions or thoughts, because I don't know what to do anymore with this story. I have so many ideas, and I spent at least 5 hours yesterday trying to make a comprehensible timeline. I think I want to add more quiet moments, chances for Hikaru to develop more as a character. Also more angst (hehe...) but without more misunderstandings. I'm hoping my readers can PM or review to give me ideas-do I just upload different versions of the chapters (though they'd be completely different) or make a whole new story that actually has a title or continue with this? I mean, does it bother you guys how quickly he's advancing? That's my main problem. Is it just me? Please, please, give me your thoughts on this issue. Thank you for your time.


	12. Chapter 12

Warnings: Spoilers for the entire series and matureness  
**Notes: **Happy Fourth of July for you Americans out there

**The Untitled Project**

_by The Honorable Arik Novak_

* * *

Hikaru, instead of hovering in limboland, found himself floating. Did he know anything anymore? Was Sai anything he said he was? Did he really have a doctorate, was he as naïve as he so often acted, was he really_ anything_? Anger and resentment were two feelings Hikaru could identify readily. The others were a little harder. Confusion, maybe. Betrayal? Was it a betrayal? Hikaru had never asked outright, 'Have you been to jail?'

Maybe his mother had been right to worry. Hikaru had stayed late nights playing against Sai in a secluded room, but he had never felt uncomfortable. Sai was always so laid back; he himself was so trusting, that it was easy to trust him in turn. He smiled, he pouted, he was like an energetic puppy with perfect manners. Hikaru let the anger wash away from him. Those were just rumors, right? Not necessarily true, not necessarily anything.

_"Well-concealed? What does that mean?" Hikaru growled. He couldn't believe someone would try to malign Sai like that. He didn't know this kid that well, but Hikaru was starting to heavily dislike him despite all he had done to help._

_"I really shouldn't be spreading this," Well, Hikaru could at least call the kid a good actor. He certainly convinced himself that there was some danger here. Toya took a breath and continued, "but it's something you need to know. If only to protect yourself." _

_"From what, Sai?"_

_"Yes."_

But Sai had skipped town. Why? Why hadn't he seen the man for a week? Why did he reschedule all his games? He thought to ask Ogata; after all, Ogata would know.

But could he trust Ogata?

_"They're best friends. Fujiwara-san first appeared with Ogata-san and has been with him ever since."_

It was with hooded eyes that he glanced at Ogata, steaming as he walked toward the front desk. "Didn't I tell you to stay here?" The blond almost hissed. Hikaru had to forcefully remind himself not to flinch. Something must have given him away though, because the man withdrew himself and took a long calming breath.

"Never mind. I have some news you might like." He started walking out the door.

_"It wasn't anywhere in the news. But the files are open and plain."_

"Oh?" Hikaru intoned noncommittally, reminding himself not to act too weird.

"Fujiwara's coming back." Hikaru more sensed than actually saw Ogata glance at him.

_"Fujiwara isn't even his real name. He changed it to get away from scandal."_

_"Then what was it?"_

"Konoe."

"Didn't hear you, what did you say?" Ogata divided his attention between Hikaru and the road. When did they get into the car? He must have been spacing out.

"Kono...we...uh," he cleared his throat, "Can we stop for some ramen?" Hikaru hardly thought it was a good enough cover.

Ogata lifted a blond eyebrow at him. "Well, I'm not going to cook, and I doubt Sai will be up for cooking. I'll tell him we're getting ramen to-go."

Huh, Hikaru thought, that worked out splendidly. Ogata was no longer looking at him suspiciously, and he would get ramen for dinner.

"Better yet, you call him now." The man extracted his phone and held it out for him. Hikaru stared at it. He really didn't feel like talking to Sai right now. "Well?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." He dialed Sai's number and hoped the man wouldn't pick up. He needed to straighten out his own thoughts before Sai's sweet nature made him forget any doubts he had.

"Hello, Seiji!"

"Hey...Sai."

"Oh, Hikaru, wonderful! I cannot wait to see you both again. Shall we meet at Seiji's apartment?"

"Yeah. We're picking up ramen."

"Also wonderful. I will most likely be late, so do not let me hinder you both from eating should you arrive before I do."

Hikaru didn't wait for a goodbye before he hung up. Sai still seemed like the Sai he knew. The man was still polite, sweet, courteous, the perfect ingredients for a good honest man, not a pedophile!

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of his face. "My phone?" Hikaru wordlessly put the device in the man's hand and swatted it away.

Now back to his thoughts. If Sai's name had once been Konoe, then it would be an interesting search. From what he remembered from history class, he knew it was a famous family. He'd never met someone named Konoe and didn't know how common the name was. Maybe if it was as famous as he thought he remembered it was, then-

Suddenly, the car swerved to the left and Hikaru thought he was going to fly right out the open top of the car. In one deft action, Ogata had the bright red vehicle parked perfectly with six inches between the car and each of the white lines on the concrete. They had arrived at the ramen place without Hikaru even noticing. Still reeling from the man's crazy driving, Hikaru undid his buckle. Then he noticed that Ogata wasn't moving at all. The man was sitting perfectly still, one hand on his recently dislodged keys and the other still on the steering wheel. "Okay, something happened back there, didn't it? Back at the Go Association." Ogata didn't bother turning his head toward Hikaru.

"Nothing big."

This time, Ogata did turn to analyze him. His sharp eyes scanned him, looking for some weakness, somewhere the man could probe for answers. Hikaru would not give him the satisfaction. He stared back blinking once or twice stupidly as if he were an innocent young man without a substantial thought in his head. If anything, Ogata's eyes narrowed even more.

He turned away and walked toward the restaurant. "Well, whatever it is, deal with it before Sai gets back."

"Will do," he said carelessly, hoping he pulled off blasé convincingly enough.

There was something intriguing in the way Ogata ordered him to work out his own problems. Ogata wasn't getting mad because Hikaru was being reticent or rude. For some reason, Hikaru thought that Ogata was rather protective of Sai. It wasn't because Hikaru was getting on his nerves, but because Hikaru's weird behavior might hurt Sai. And Ogata knew something. Ogata knew everything. And was possibly in on it.

"You know what you want?" Ogata asked, jarring Hikaru from his thoughts.

"Uh, just get me a regular-sized one. Basic, nothing fancy." Hikaru took a moment to look at the area. The ramen shop was flanked by another restaurant and a hair salon. But farther down, Hikaru thought he could see an internet café with an outline of a computer lined with neon lights. "I need to check my e-mail. I'll see you in twenty?"

Ogata waved him off, and Hikaru took it as approval. Quickly, since he wanted as much time as he could get, he sprinted toward the sign and took a few long breaths once he was inside the dimly lit establishment. Paying was simple, but it seemed like it took forever to get his change back. And the logging in was taking its sweet time, and the browser itself was so _slow_. He glanced at the time in the corner and realized that a minute hadn't even gone by. He was just impatient.

Finally, he arrived at a search engine. Immediately, he founded results about the famous Konoe family, the ancient illustrious family that branched from the even more famous Fujiwara family. But Fujiwara was a common name. Konoe was not. Hikaru wondered if Sai was even his real given name. Nevertheless, he add 'Sai' to his search and found nothing. Disheartened, he tried searching for 'doctor' and 'history' as well, and was rewarded with a few articles.

At a glance, he could see there were news articles, most about a brilliant young man and his contributions to his academic field. Well, at least he hadn't been lying about his doctorate. Except he wasn't Dr. Fujiwara. Hikaru looked at an article about Dr. Konoe Motozane that went on about some history award he'd won, and there was a picture of a young man receiving a plaque and shaking the hand of a balding man. Konoe looked to be in his late teens, a well groomed man in a black suit and a flamboyant tie. They didn't match at all, and only one thought occurred to Hikaru: Yep, that was Sai. He felt an unbidden smile slip into place at seeing him. He looked so young! His hair was short by Sai standards (by normal standards, it was quite shaggy) and had a light indigo sheen maybe due to the lights, but the face was undeniably Sai.

But as funny and interesting as it was to see Sai as a younger man, it wasn't what he was looking for.

He added another term to his search, 'arrest.' There were three on the screen. Two of the results were basically the same thing, giving very little detail on a dismissed appeal for the trial Yamanashi Prefecture vs. Konoe Motozane. The third was an official website with folders of information, a folder for each person involved in the case. The prosecutor, the witnesses, the defendant...but clicking on Sai's old name only yielded a page with the date and his name.

Well, there was no proof. None at all.

There was a new term he wanted to search for. 'Konoe Motozane Offender.' Yup, there it was. A mugshot against a plain background and underneath it his height, weight, hair color, eye color, it was all Sai. Most condemning, though, was the name listed under aliases: Fujiwara Sai. It was all too much. Before he closed the tab, however, he read the small disclaimer at the bottom of the profile. 'All names presented here were gathered at a past date. Some persons listed might no longer be registered offenders and others might have been added.' Curious, he saw that there was a link to the official site's version of the profile.

He was so close to the truth, he could feel it.

But there was a server error.

The internet still worked. Other pages were loading normally. Greatly afflicted, Hikaru exited all of his programs and saw that he still had a few minutes left. Well, while he could, he searched 'Shindo Heihachi wake' to see when it would be. To his puzzlement, there was nothing. Was his father so callous that he wouldn't even hold a wake? He searched for 'funeral,' but found nothing. He searched and searched, but there was no hint that a Shindo Heihachi had even died. Had his father completely ignored the man and left him to rot? Would Grandpa see no burial at all? The thought angered him, but he had other important things to worry about.

Like Sai.

"Hikaru, it has been so very long!" Sai exclaimed when the two arrived at the apartment. Hikaru wanted to point out that it was Sai's fault he hadn't seen them in so long, but he knew it was a mean move. He reassured himself that there was no reason to dislike Sai. Sai was his friend.

_What kind of adult befriended a fifteen-year old?_

He'd had the thought before, back when Sai first suggested they were friends instead of teacher and student. "Yeah Sai, it's been what, just two days?" he answered coolly and evenly. He didn't like the hurt on Sai's face, nor the way the man's shoulders slumped. Ogata glanced at him but went back to whatever he'd been doing.

"Well, the ramen's getting cold," Ogata interrupted lamely. Probably anything to kill the awkwardness. Hikaru silently thanked Ogata for the much-needed diversion and grabbed the styrofoam box proffered to him. Ogata placed three bowls on the glass table and turned back to a plastic bag for utensils. Sitting on the floor, Hikaru opened his box to find the ingredients: Meat, and vegetables, and a fish cake. Hardly what he wanted from his ramen. He wanted pure noodles right now.

"Oh, this isn't mine. I got basic." He closed it and tried to give it back to Ogata.

Ogata swatted his hand away. "I got three of the same. Deal with it." What a jerk, Hikaru thought. He remembered specifically telling Ogata what kind he wanted, but held off on saying anything.

"Always looking out for others. Seiji, you're so thoughtful!" Sai said with a soft smile.

Hikaru hardly thought Ogata was being thoughtful when he disregarded his preferences, but let it go as well. He was more concerned with the ever-cheerful attitude of one Sai. It was endearing. It had the power to erase any concerns about the man, but Hikaru resisted it. He couldn't let himself be swayed away from looking for the truth. Thankfully, or sadly, upon glancing back at Sai, he saw that the man's shoulders were once again slumped and his eyes shadowed by his hair.

Ogata seemed to have shrugged off the praise—_probably because it wasn't true,_ Hikaru exerted the energy to snigger to himself—and reached into the plastic bag for a giant container of ramen-flavored water. Hikaru could tell it was still really hot because the space above the water made the inside of the container look foggy. Sai started making his food first. Hikaru lazily watched the man use his chopsticks to transfer his ingredients to the bowl one by one, rather than dumping them all in at once. For Hikaru, giving all his attention to a mundane task, even if it was performed by Sai, was a welcome relief from worrying. The man then used a soup spoon to scoop out water, spoonful by spoonful.

"Here," Ogata said, handing over a bowl for Sai's use.

"Ah, thank you, Seiji," Sai said, his face lighting up the slightest bit. His expression wasn't as bright at it usually was, and Hikaru felt something twist in his stomach upon realizing so.

Ogata performed the same ritual of placing his ingredients into his bowl, but the man did so in greater chunks, using the soup spoon to help him. Hikaru continued watching lazily as the blond slowly tipped the next third of the giant container's contents into his bowl.

It seemed Sai was waiting patiently for the other two to have their food before he started, so Hikaru took the most expedient route and simply tilted his box into his bowl, using the chopsticks to aid gravity in bringing the meat and veggies to the bowl. Since there was only a third left of all the water, he figured the rest was for him, and didn't bother using anything else. The water was too far down in the container to reasonably use a bowl anyway.

He probably should've done it their way.

As he tipped the entire thing into his bowl at a greater angle than Ogata had, it occurred to him that the container had not come full, and that there was still a third of the water left over after the other two had taken their share. He pulled it back, but not before a torrent of water hit the ingredients, splashed oout, and overflowed the bowl.

"Ssss," Sai hissed, as some of the hot water had hit him. Hikaru felt a bit of pain too and looked down. His hands seemed to have been wet too, but it took a second for him to echo, "Sss," and add, "Aaaah, that hurts…" Still, he thought, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it was supposed to.

He heard the pounding of feet.

_Dad's coming. He's gonna kill me for screwing up. _

"Ouchie, Seiji…" he heard the soft swishing of water and someone whine. Oh, that was Sai. He was at Ogata's house.

"You're alright now, Sai." And that was Ogata. "Shindo, did any get on you?"

Hikaru hid his bad right hand under his sleeve and showed Ogata his other. It was the one more badly hit anyway.

Ogata nodded and laid a bowl in front of him. "It's cool water. You have to cool down the hand first." Hikaru blinked. What? It wasn't that bad a burn. He could probably get away with wiping it off.

"Stop being stubborn, Shindo." When Hikaru hesitated again, Ogata took his arm and guided his hand to the cool water. It did feel better.

"Fujiwara-san, do you know what to do with hot water burns?" Ogata asked. Hikaru saw that Sai also had a hand in a bowl of water. Wait, burn? This wasn't a burn, Hikaru laughed to himself. This was nothing.

Sai shook his head. "You might be able to find it on the internet. Use 'boil' as a search term, though, not just 'hot.'"

While Ogata was searching the web for answers, Hikaru glanced at both of them. "Y'know, you just cool it down until the pain goes away. Or for ten minutes, whichever comes first."

Ogata ignored him.

"Helloo? Didja hear me?"

"I'm not deaf. I was looking for what to do afterwards. You can't just cool it down and expect it to heal."

For this kind of injury, you probably could. For real burns? "Course not! That's why you have to pat it dry and wrap it with gauze. But not too tight, or you'll cut off circulation."

This time, Ogata considered him, turning his eyes toward the boy as his fingers continued typing. "What about ointment?"

"Naw, you shouldn't use any unless a doctor prescribes it. Ointments and stuff might make it worse."

Hikaru didn't notice the narrowing of the man's eyes or how he was already on a medical site. "Oh? Then what do you do after the gauze?"

"Simple. You elevate the wound above the heart, maybe use a cold compress to relieve pain or whatever, and change the gauze everyday until it gets better."

"Hm. You seem to be right," Ogata conceded. "Exactly what this website here says. Tell me, Shindo, how do you know all this?"

Hikaru laughed awkwardly to hide his panic. "Oh, eh, I kinda sorta burnt my hand a while ago. Reaching into a sink of hot water to retrieve my mom's favorite bracelet." Too little detail? Too much? Oh no, he'd had too much detail…

"Ah. Then I suppose I'll get the first aid kit for the gauze." That was it? Well, the man was fooled easily. Hikaru's suspicion at Ogata's quick concession was quickly overshadowed by Sai's next inquiry:

"I thought it was a necklace."

Ogata slowed in his steps.

Laughing again, because really that's all he had to give him time to think and stop himself from immediately spouting something stupid, he said, "Necklace, bracelet, ring, whatever, they're all the same to me."

Sai seemed to accept it easily enough. Ogata helped Sai and Hikaru wrap their hands, an action which Hikaru didn't get. He could probably wrap his himself. However, when he tried to do it himself, Ogata glared him down, finished with Sai's hand, and started on Hikaru's. Ogata still looked at him every now and then over dinner, but Hikaru steadfastly ignored him. At the end of the meal, after they had said their 'Gochisōsama-deshita's, Sai offered enthusiastically to play a game. "I have not played in two whole days. Can you imagine it? Two whole days without Go!"

Neither Hikaru nor Ogata responded with much enthusiasm. Sai frowned. "Or has it been a long day?"

"It's been a long day, Sai," Hikaru latched onto the excuse. "Actually, I'll be turning in. Thanks for the food, Ogata-san."

He walked into the bathroom, hoping Sai would leave so Hikaru could have the couch back. He didn't feel up to commandeering Ogata's bed. He left the door open to hear whatever they said, and turned the faucet on low so that they wouldn't suspect him of listening in. Also because he needed to run some cool water over his neglected right hand.

"You should go."

"What has happened?" There was such sadness in his question. Things had changed so much since Sai left.

"I have an idea." So Ogata knew what had been on Hikaru's mind all afternoon?

"Will I see you tomorrow at the Go Institute?" Hope. It rather embodied the man.

"...you should take a break." Worry.

"I _have_ been taking a break, Seiji! I need to get back to Go." Desperation.

"No. It seems certain rumors have made it to the surface. People are discussing you in the open now, Sai."

"Oh." So defeated, so lifeless!

"And I think your little genius heard some of it." Okay, so Ogata definitely knew what happened.

"That is why Hikaru—" Had Hikaru been so transparent? He hadn't meant to be hurtful.

"Exactly."

"Please, tell him. Tell him everything for me. I-I cannot do it. I could not face him or think of those days anymore." Sai's voice cracked. Was he crying? Hikaru wanted nothing more than to storm back into the living area and hug the man and declare that their friendship was stronger than any silly rumor. But he couldn't. Because it wasn't.

"Making me do your dirty work." A sigh. "Fine. Promise me you'll cancel your games for the week?"

Sai seemed to have choked. "Cancel? I cannot do that, I already forfeited two of them without notice while looking for Hikaru's mother." That's what he'd been doing?

"You know how I work, Sai. Exchange." Maybe that was where Sai learned to blackmail Hikaru into going to the Children's Tournament.

"...Fine. I shall cancel them. But please, sort this out with Hikaru as soon as possible."

"I'll try my best."

Hikaru heard footsteps and then the sound of the door closing. Relieved and saddened that Sai was gone, he finally shut off the faucet and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Took an awful long time washing your hands, Shindo."

Ogata probably knew already. "I was listening in," he confessed.

The man nodded in affirmation of what he'd thought. "So you should know it's story-time. But first, tell me what you think you know."

"His real name's not Sai." That was just the tip of the iceberg. "He's been on trial. He's on a registry. Maybe. He's been lying to me since we met. He hangs out with me and wants to far more than any adult should. From what everyone else thinks, it seems that he's a paedoph—"

"Don't you dare," he said with deadly cool. "Sai is a trustworthy man."

"And I _want_ to trust him! But there's no proof that he's trustworthy, and he's broken the law, well, that first time, and then every time he was alone in a room with me. Then the research, those people at the Go Association, everything's telling me I shouldnt trust him!"

"What about me? _I _am telling you, you can trust him."

"You? I know nothing about you! How would I know you weren't with him like, like that, and you did...stuff?" His face was starting to glow red, he just knew it, both from anger and embarrassment.

Ogata raised an eyebrow. "Stuff?" There was an empty chuckle. The man slowly sat down on his couch, his neck bent and arms lifelessly resting on his knees. "You can't trust yourself? After everything Sai's done for you?" He realized it was the wrong thing to say when the boy screwed up his face and his mouth started trembling. The boys eyes were glistening, angry and salty.

"No, I can't!" He shouted. "I trusted my father, didn't I? I loved him!" The boy set his mouth and bit his lip to stop it from moving. "I- I loved him. And sometimes he loved me back, and sometimes he hurt me." He paused again. This time, with still glistening eyes, he looked up and looked Ogata in the eye. "Are you saying I should go back because of the little love he did show me?"

"Definitely not what I'm saying," Ogata said more to himself than to Hikaru.

Hikaru clenched at his hair, his dry ugly hair. "How can I trust any of you?" His voice didn't break. He thought it would, because his eyes were feeling water and it was all he could do to tilt his head back and stop it from falling, but at least his voice didn't break.

"It was a cold winter three or so years ago. 1997? '98? I was working at a Go convention in the south. A small city. That's where I first met him. I met him the second time in Tokyo. It was spring by then."

* * *

"Kuwabara-san, there's a problem outside. There's a man loitering..."

The old fart had the gall to lean back and heave a heavy sigh. "Ah, but I'm so old. You should call a young 'un. Ogata!" the man called rudely.

Even though the detestable wrinkled mass was technically superior, Ogata felt no compulsion to do what he said. He promptly ignored the man and continued flipping through Go weekly.

"Ogata!"

Ignore, Ignore...

"Ah, actually, it would best if Ogata-san would come."

"It's wrapping up anyway. Soon it won't even matter," he said dismissively to the poor worker. This week's issue wasn't too interesting, but there was nothing else in which he could pretend to be interested.

"He was asking for a certain young blond pro."

God, this man was annoying.

"Fine," Ogata said, making sure _not _to throw the magazine at the chair in which he'd been sitting. It wouldn't do to look so immature.

It was still the slightest bit chilly outside, so Ogata was surprised at the attire of the troublesome loitering man. The fabric looked like silk, entirely inappropriate for the weather, but he couldn't be sure since it was covered in dirt and grime. It was familiar. At first, he hadn't even been sure it was a man because the long hair was obscuring the face and the frame was so slight. That was also familiar.

Shaking away his misgivings, he shooed the man away. "You can't be here. Leave. Scat."

Then the man looked up, and Ogata recognized him. He shouldn't have been so surprised. Well, his hair had grown longer, but the man was wearing the same clothes the last time Ogata saw him. He never expected to see the kid again.

"Ogata-san. You had said once, if I do remember correctly, that a place for Go was here." His voice was halting. Thin. "That people play Go all day. It sounded like heaven, and it is. I hear them come and go, speaking of such wonderful Go!" His wording was awkward, as if he had to think long and hard about what words he wanted to use. He looked up at the building, awe in his eyes. When Ogata had mentioned the Japan Go Institute that night, when he was half-drunkenly exchanging anecdotes of his life for this man's troubled story, he never thought said man would follow him there. He become driven and had a one-track mind when he got drunk. That particular night, he had been dedicated to saving this man from himself.

"Konoe-san, as lovely as that all is, you can't stay out here. You're probably scaring people away."

The man looked down, as if finally registering his shabby clothing. He sighed. "I am Fujiwara Sai now." It seemed to fit him better.

"You changed your name?"

"Yes. So much pain. It is behind me now. I shall be removed from the registry within the year as well." Why was this man telling him this? Ogata didn't want to know the intricate details of this man's life. "I was given a few conditions. One of them required I name someone who could be responsible for me."

"No." He did not. He couldn't have. The man shouldn't have even come here! "I want no part. I can understand that your situation sucked, but you're out now. You had no right to call on me."

"Relax, Seiji. May I call you Seiji?"

"No."

"It is nothing big. I know you have already done so much for me. Do me this last favor, please just help me start over. Then I shall leave you alone."

People were starting to pause at the exit of the Go Institute to look at them curiously. Ogata would have none of that. "We're not arguing this out here. C'mon, I'll at least get you to a bathroom. You stink."

"Oh, there is a merciful god!" All at one, the odorous man wrapped two thin arms around his neck and squeezed weakly. "Thank you, Seiji. I owe you my life."

"You can pay me back by not calling me Seiji."

"I have two joys. One is Go, and the other is calling friends by their first names. Will you deny me this?" At those heartfelt (and somewhat manipulative) words, Ogata knew he was in for a terrible time. After all, he had never before fallen prey to adorableness, and this man had unwittingly broken his streak of heartlessness.

* * *

Review! They even put it right here to make it easy for you! Also know that I've been awake since 2 in the morning (it is now 6:36 AM) churning out this chapter. In addition, if you happened to like a scene, a characterization, a line, please mention it too! ;)


	13. Chapter 13

"Now, just wait a second!" Hikaru interrupted. "That's not telling me anything. You're just trying to get me to feel sorry for him." Despite his protestations, Hikaru had to admit that it worked. Hearing about an impoverished Sai traveling from some tiny town all the way to Tokyo just for the chance to play some good Go really made Hikaru pity him.

"That told you nothing?" Ogata asked, exasperated. "He was removed from the registry in a year. A serious threat would not be removed in a mere year. Some stay on for life."

Ogata did make a point, Hikaru thought. "But why was he there in the first place?" he asked, because that was the crux of the matter.

"Shindo, what's the age of consent in Tokyo?"

Hikaru blushed. It was such an abrupt question about such an adult topic. "Um, it's thirteen, right?" What did that have to do with anything?

"Partially correct. Awfully low, don't you think?" Ogata was scanning him with his sharp eyes. Hikaru could tell he was searching for something.

"Sure..." Yeah, he was a teenage boy, but he had never seriously entertained the thought about well, that activity. After all, the only girl he really knew was Akari, and they were just friends. And she would never like him _that_ way.

"There's another provision in Tokyo by which the age is basically raised to seventeen. Some prefectures, like one in Okayama, have an age of eighteen."

"So what?"

"The other person was seventeen, going on eighteen."

"…"

At Hikaru's silence, Ogata cleared his throat. "I do hope you'll apologize when he gets back," Ogata said, getting up. It seemed he'd had enough of this conversation.

Hikaru nodded miserably. The Sai he had seen in those news stories had been young. In his early twenties, maybe even younger. "Don't they have laws about that? If you're within a few years of each other, isn't that okay?"

"I'll let you work that out with Fujiwara. I'm done giving you his dirty laundry."

* * *

"How is he?" Sai asked, upon seeing Seiji again. The man looked far more haggard than usual. His hair was still impeccably combed, and his suit pressed as usual, but he was not standing with his usual uprightness. He looked tired.

Seiji sighed. "He feels guilty, probably. You know, he really didn't want to believe any of it. I think if the internet didn't exist and you had told him that those rumors were all lies, he would've readily believed you."

"The truth is a good thing," he responded without directly addressing anything of what Seiji said. Sai stretched himself and glanced up at the apartment building towering above them. There, on the second highest floor, would be Hikaru. How he wanted to go up there and reconcile with the boy. "Should I-"

"No. He'll take the first step. You should let him."

Sai looked down at his shoes. "I should not even be around him," he said sadly. He kicked the floor restlessly. "I should not have spoken to him, created such a relationship. It is destined to end badly."

"Hardly," Seiji scoffed.

Seiji was always such a source of wisdom. "Truly? How so?"

"He was in real danger, living in that house. Without you, I don't know where he would've gone."

Sai shrugged. His friend was thinking very short-term, a bad sign for a Go professional. "I have done nothing. Seiji, you saved him. I have only burdened him." Seiji looked at him with consternation. The man really did not understand what Sai was trying to say. Sai took a deep breath to bolster his resolve. "I must ask you to do one thing more."

"Fujiwara!" the man groaned, much like a five year old would.

"In all seriousness."

It was rare that Sai was so serious, and it benefited him now. It probably unnerved Seiji that he had been so serious as of late. Seiji stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm housing the boy, I'm dealing with his insecurities and his paranoia. I told him your damned story. What more would you have me do?"

"Make sure he never goes back to his father. Draw up a lawsuit."

Seiji was silent for a long moment. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Lighting one, he took a good long drag and eyed Sai once more. "That would be very difficult."

Sai nodded, knowing he was asking Seiji to do something that Sai himself should be doing. "We cannot protect him or keep him at your apartment forever. He must go back to school, where is at anyone's mercy. Moreover, it would appear highly suspicious if I accused the man of child abuse. Or if I did anything, really. The mere fact that I was the one who tutored him would be held against me."

"So I will go to court to make sure the man is punished. You know, Sai, the courts don't like separating families. Unless we have evidence, we have nothing."

Sai hesitated and rubbed his hands together. "You remember your concerns about my prodigy? That he had injured his right hand?"

Seiji stood up straighter and looked him in the eyes. "Yes. But an injured hand won't be enough."

"It was a burn," Sai said. "His story changes in a small way every time. He hides it very well. If you start paying attention to it, you wonder how you missed it at all." Sai's eyes were unfocused. He felt so small and powerless, unable to help Hikaru as he wanted. He gazed up at the building, wondering how the boy was.

"So what, I get him to admit it to a whole court? He'd never do it. Kids usually deny this sort of stuff."

Sai wondered how Seiji knew the workings of an abused child's mind. "You shall have to get him to admit it to himself first." He knew he was asking much of Seiji, a man who had very little attachment to Hikaru. However, he knew Seiji to be a good man. The public knew him as a serious man with great ambitions, but the public knew little of his grudging generosity and his sharp eyes. He was a little rough sometimes, but Sai knew there was a great good hidden within him. Perhaps Hikaru could help the man discover it himself.

* * *

"Where's Sai?" Oh, how Sai had missed that voice.

"Out. What's it to you?" Ogata was being too belligerent.

There was silence, during which Sai was tempted to give up and leave. Then, Hikaru's voice again: "I just wanted to get the rest of his side of the story. Maybe play a game."

Well, that was enough for him! He swung around the door and launched himself into the apartment. "Hikaru!"

The boy's face was the perfect picture of surprise, but in an instant he latched onto the man with a strong hug and sobbed, "I'm sorry I doubted you. I don't know why..."

"I guess you did let him take the first step," Seiji muttered to himself. Sai threw him a grateful smile which the man merely waved off as he closed himself in his room.

"It is all in the past," Sai said. He lifted up Hikaru's chin and looked him in the eye. "I have missed you. You said you would like a game?"

"It's been way too long, Sai," the boy said. Such excitement, such happiness. Sai thought he would greatly miss this if he ever had to leave it behind.

He set up Seiji's goban and stones on the glass table as he listened to Hikaru apologizing and rationalizing. "Do not worry, Hikaru. I have put it behind me, and I barely remember all that anyway."

There seemed to be something on the boy's mind, so Sai let him keep his silence until the boy gathered his courage to say, "Ogata implied there was something more, though. Sai, won't you tell me yourself?"

Sai put the bowl of black stones on Hikaru's side and kept the white for himself. "I suppose I should. How much did he say? Put down a handicap as well."

Hikaru placed nine stones, and Sai scoffed. He removed five of the stones, saying, "Now really, Hikaru. You must challenge yourself!" When Hikaru rolled his eyes, Sai was so thankful to have the boy's insolence back that he laughed aloud.

"As if playing you at all isn't a challenge itself. Even at a fifteen-stone handicap, you would beat anyone."

Sai's mind jumped to Toya; he knew he would not be able to defeat that man under such a handicap. Nothing but an even playing field could defeat him. "Hikaru, you were about to relate to me what Seiji told you."

"Oh yeah. Just that you were, y'know, _with _a girl a few years younger than you. And you got in trouble for it because she was underage."

Sai smiled. Of course Seiji would be uncomfortable with relating the one crucial point. "Actually, _he _was seventeen and we were living—separately, mind you!—in Tokyo. We visited his hometown, where the age of consent was eighteen. His parents were unhappy with his choice of...companion and pressed charges."

"What terrible parents!"

He expected a different reaction. He was most worried about this, that Hikaru would react with reproach to his orientation. He certainly did not expect this indignation. "You think so? They were trying to do what was best for their son."

"Well they obviously don't know what's best for their kid if they don't like you."

Sai laughed. A great weight lifted itself from his shoulders when he realized that Hikaru did not see him any differently. "You are one to speak of parents, Hikaru." Sai was not sure if he wanted to broach the subject, but he decided that he would make Seiji's quest a little easier.

"How d'ya mean?" Hikaru was focused entirely on the game, it seemed. They had made it into yose, the first time Hikaru had ever made it so far at such a low handicap.

"Your father will certainly not be winning any father of the year awards. And your mother has fled into China." There. Sai had laid everything out. Now if only Hikaru could see without his tinted lenses. If only Hikaru could see his own situation as so many others did.

"It's okay. Really, I mean I kind of screwed up their lives," the boy said, not making eye contact and not hesitating in placing his stone.

It seemed it was not too early to give Hikaru some proper perspective. "I do not think their lives are your responsibility. They are responsible for you and ought to care for you." He placed a stone.

"Naw, you don't get it, Sai. They love me. They just want what's best for me." The boy leaned back and surveyed the board. "Well, seems like I lost. I resign."

"Well, I must retire to my own home then. It is already quite late." Sai did not know how long he could listen to Hikaru's erroneous reasoning. To think, that what his parents did was for his benefit! It was ridiculous and he would not have it.

Hikaru looked up at him from where he was sitting. "Oh, you're going? I guess I couldn't stay at your place."

"Alas, no. You know I could not possibly. Why? Do you not like it here with Seiji?"

"Naw, he's nice. He's just kind of...intense, you know?"

Sai laughed. He knew very well.

* * *

"He's just kind of...intense, you know?"

Ogata would never apologize for being intense. It was a factor that often worked in his favor during matches. He and the brat bid Sai a good night and went back to his living area. "Up for another game, Shindo?"

"Uh, sure. Isn't it kind of late, though?"

"Never too late for a game, Mr. Shindo."

Ogata gave him the handicap he so often used to use with Akira. It was a great compliment to the boy's talents, but he doubted the boy noticed. The game proceeded quite evenly to Ogata's surprise. Then, he noticed it.

There it was. That's what was bothering him. Shindo had been wearing a glove on his right hand for a while now, and it was the first time in a long while that he could see the discolored skin on the hand as it sat in his bowl of stones. Seiji wondered how he had ever passed a day without wondering about it. The boy was an expert at hiding. Well, when was a better time to put his plan into action?

"Tell me, Shindo, what did you do to merit that wound on your hand?"

He dropped a stone back into the bowl, playing it off as a clumsiness of his and smoothly picking up another. "Oh, this?" he asked, the slightest tremor of nervousness the only other hint that the boy was uncomfortable. His shoulders were relaxed, as was his effortless smile, but Ogata could tell that the boy was cautious. "Oh, I was being stupid." So flippant. So blasé.

"Stupid, hm? Sounds like you." Oh, but Ogata wouldn't leave it there. He picked up a stone and threaded it through his fingers thoughtfully. He put it to his chin in thought and hummed a little to himself. After a long minute or two, he let his hand hover over the board. Then after another long minute, he placed the stone, all the while taking his time pretending to think so that he could analyze the boy's posture. Still so relaxed, but much more than when he had asked his first question. By the time Shindo placed his stone in response, the tremor had subsided. Time to strike again. "Was anyone around when you were doing this stupid thing?"

The boy stiffened the slightest bit. "No."

"Come now, Hikaru. I can tell you're lying." Ogata continued his inquiry with a curious lilt in his voice, the slightest bit of childish confusion, as if he just wanted the pieces to make sense.

"My parents were around," he conceded guardedly and placed a stone. It wasn't the best move, Ogata thought. It seemed rather careless of him. He wondered if the boy's Go talent went into hibernation when he was nervous.

"Ah, but surely it wouldn't still look like that if you had gotten medical treatment." Ogata quickly placed his stone. The boy posed less of a challenge when he was wound up like this.

"It was a punishment." Hikaru slammed a stone down.

Ogata's nostrils flared. Hikaru leaned into the back of his seat.

"So am I to suppose that his punishment was just?" he hissed. He slammed his stone down too. "That you deserved to have your hand burnt in such a way since, after all, you were just being stupid?" he spat. The game was abandoned.

"He might've taken it too far, but yeah, I was just being—"

Like a viper, he struck again. "I see, so it's your fault! We should just drop you off at your house then and see you on your merry way?"

The boy looked frightened even though he had been suggesting his return to his home for a while now. "It's…"

"It's your fault, Shindo!"

"No-" the boy groaned to himself, clenching and unclenching his fists. This is what he was aiming for, this denial. He needed to break it.

Ogata didn't let up. "You did this to yourself, and you deserved it all! "

"No, it's not FAIR!" the child shouted back, slamming his fist on the Go board, scattering many of the stones. The glass of the coffee table cracked, and beautiful web-like fissures spread out to the metal edges as the soft crackling sound slowly followed his incensed words. "He's my dad, he's supposed to care for me-like Toya Meijin and Akira!" Ogata thought the boy's expectations were pretty low if he considered the Meijin's relationship with his son the ideal one. "Fuck it!" Hikaru slammed his angry fist on the goban again, and finally after all the abuse, the glass finally gave in and shattered.

Ogata jumped back from the glass and immediately looked to see if the boy was harmed. He had pushed too hard. In the short time between the fissures and the explosion, with urgent intent he grabbed the boy's shoulder. If he had lent the slightest second to thought, he would have reasoned that grabbing the boy at this moment was a very bad idea.

Hikaru jerked his shoulder away from the offending touch, raising his hackles and covering his head with his arms.

"Hikaru," he said in a calm, quiet voice.

The boy blinked.

"Are you hurt?"

Ogata didn't expect the laughter or the sagging shoulders. He didn't expect Hikaru to slump backward against the foot of the couch with a repressed sob. So when these things happened, he was at a loss.

"Did any glass get on you?" This time, he took his time edging closer and closer to the boy. Once he was in easy reach of the boy, he lightly placed a hand on Hikaru's far shoulder. The boy flinched but didn't move away. Firmly, but not forcefully, he put his other arm on Hikaru's closer shoulder. And with the patience of a seasoned Go pro, he stood both of them up and gently coaxed the boy onto the couch.

Most of the glass was on the floor, and the shards weren't too far from the frame. The go board was scuffed and nicked, but altogether whole, and Ogata was smugly proud of its resilience. He placed it on the couch next to the boy and continued looking for anything else. The stones were scattered farther, probably having bounced around, whereas the glass just seemed to have fallen straight down. No harm done. Probably.

He allowed his gaze to subtly shift toward the boy to see how he was faring. He was calm, at least. Weary, spent, and maybe a tiny bit afraid. Ogata figured the fear would wear off once the boy realized that none of the glass had hit him. Seeing as it wasn't likely the boy would be moving from the couch, he assumed the annoying chore of cleaning up the glass. After all, he was the one who shattered it in the first place.

* * *

'He must be so mad…' was the one thought running through his head. He heard buzzing in his ears and he thought his eyesight was a little unfocused. When Ogata touched his shoulder, he felt electricity run through his body, shocking him into a defensive position. When it happened again, he controlled himself. Better to take his punishment now than wait for it.

It seemed it wouldn't be so. Ogata was cleaning everything, sweeping up the glass and noting the damage. Oh, Hikaru was in for it.

But after the glass was removed, the stones collected into a jumble of black and white, and the goban set safely on the couch, Ogata simply left. For a few minutes, Hikaru had the fear that he left only to come back with a belt or a demand to get out of his apartment. The minutes passed. Several minutes. It shouldn't have taken this long to retrieve something. He found himself relaxing despite his worries. Maybe Ogata had forgotten.

The stones were still mixed. With very little thought, he placed the stones back on the board. It had been an interesting game after all. Black here, white there, black there. Then white attacked and black defended. Then white attacked and black moved his attention elsewhere. Then white invaded. And black continued his attack at the elsewhere point. Then white moved there too. Then, this was when the game had stopped. Hikaru placed the black stone where he had intended it, and then looked happily upon the board. He could have been very close to winning this game. He supposed white would have gone there, and black then...

Then, there was a hand on the back of his neck.

_His dad's meaty hand latched onto the nape of his neck, hurling him toward the ground. Hikaru barely maintained his balance enough to receive a punch to his jaw. He crumpled onto his hands and knees, but it still didn't stop. A foot to his stomach, a few more kicks, and then the leather shoe was pinning his face to the floor. He heard but didn't understand the few angry words shot toward him, and felt the pressure leave his face. He coughed to help himself breathe._

"Breathe, kid."

_Dad never called him that._

He inhaled. Held it. Then exhaled.

"That's right," said a soothing voice. Hikaru continued breathing slowly, not even noticing when the door to the apartment opened and closed.

* * *

He had really intended to go out for a smoke. The confrontation with Hikaru took more out of him than he thought it would. And after all that...

After he had made sure the boy was uninjured, he had glanced around to make sure everything was in order and that he hadn't missed any glass. That was when he saw Hikaru placing stones on the goban. He thought the boy was just calming himself and playing a game against himself. Ogata remembered times in his youth when he just wanted to play a relaxed game against someone of equal caliber. Upon looking closer, however, he saw that the game was the one they were just playing.

Sai's stories immediately sprung to mind. It was common for Go professionals to recreate games. Apparently the boy had talent. Ogata was about to move on when he saw that the boy had stopped. Ah, this was where the game had halted. It was Hikaru's move. At that point, Ogata thought the boy had given up since he was already under such emotional duress. Now, when the boy was absorbed in the game, he placed a black stone. Ogata froze.

What a move!

The boy answered with white in the only place Ogata could have gone. It was a lost cause, though. There was no way for white to win once black had put that decisive move. The boy was about to put another black stone down-what was the point?-when Ogata placed a hand on the boy's back.

The boy's breathing suddenly halted, and the muscles under Ogata's hand were tensed like an animal preparing itself for death. This again?

"Breathe, kid," he had said. "That's right." The boy was calm now, but Ogata wasn't. Angrily, he left the apartment to go have his smoke.

Well, that had been the plan.

"Why are you still out here, Fujiwara?"

The man looked up at him with his puppy-dog eyes. "I was ever so worried! You are not one to let plans marinate. I knew you would enact it tonight."

Ogata sighed. He wouldn't let Fujiwara's presence get in the way of his much-needed smoke. "Well, he's accepted the facts. I think it won't be hard to convince him to testify. We'll need a lawyer. And a really good psychologist."

Fujiwara plopped down onto the hard cement. Ogata frowned at the man; how could he sit on the dirty pavement wearing white jeans?

"I must tell you, Seiji, I am most happy when I am teaching Hikaru."

Ogata thought Fujiwara should have been more worried about the fact that there was definitely some psychological harm done to Hikaru. He wondered what the man was trying to say. "Your point?"

Fujiwara let his head fall into his hands. "I am so selfish, Seiji. He improves so quickly. He learns _so __quickly_. "

"Yes, yes, you've said much about how much of a genius he is. I'm even starting to agree with you."

He expected a bright grin from the man, not the sad smile that currently graced his face. "So may I leave this up to you? I will try my best, but my best is only so good."

Ogata wasn't sure what Fujiwara was talking about, but the man's eyes were so far away, so old, that he just wanted to bring his friend back. "Anything for you, Sai."

* * *

a/n: so anyway, sorry for the long wait. This semester was fantastic, so I had the enthusiasm to write this up. Great big hulking thank yous to you reviewers! I would have never gotten the energy to do this without you all. I also started an Avatar fanfic, but it hasn't gotten much love. If you like Zuko, consider checking it out? s/8687664/1/Trial-By-Fire


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